Dare to Spin
by Taisho Samara
Summary: Sakura Haruno:Captain in the Colorguard.  Neji Hyuga:Soccer Captain.  When he insults her passion, his punishment is learning firsthand what it's all about, discovering things he never realized existed in both her life and his.AU Neji/Sakura A Band Story.
1. The Dare that Started it All

A/N: So, I'm back already. I figured I would start on my new story, considering I have a few chapters already completed. It took a little longer than I expected because I had to completely rewrite the first chapter, but I think it will be worth it.

Originally, I was going to try and rate this story M, but I don't know if I'm comfortable with that quite yet. Every rated M story I've tried to write has eventually been demoted to T, so I figure I would save myself the trouble and stick with T this time around. Warnings will be posted for certain chapters, but the majority of the content in this story will be safe for everyone. (Aside from some language.)

Um, so I guess I should give a little background info. This story is based loosely on my time in the colorguard, which I highly recommend to anyone that likes to dance and act. When I say loosely, I really mean 'Oh, wouldn't it be cool to write a story about colorguard?'. *shrug* Oh, and this will be an American sort of Naruto. It just makes things easier on me.

I'll do my best to explain certain terms at the end of each chapter. It's been awhile since I've been in guard. I had to quit last year because of a knee injury and it prevented me from returning.

Disclaimer: As in all of my stories, I'll only say this once; I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. The rights belong solely to Masashi Kishimoto. All I happen to own is the plot.

**Chapter 1: The Dare That Started It All**

"Alright, colorguard, let's wrap things up with one hundred drop spins (1)."

The maroon-haired instructor smirked at the sound of groaning that escaped her group of girls. If they thought one hundred drop spins were bad, she couldn't wait to up the ante. "Come on, ladies! It's time you get over it. Attention!"

It was easy to tell the veterans from the rookies; those that had been in the program for at least a season snapped to attention right away, their flags perfectly positioned as they waited for the next command. Those that were new took a bit longer to get situated, and their flags looked sloppy in comparison.

"Iruka, does that look like a proper attention to you?" she asked her fellow instructor with a feral grin.

The brown-haired man shook his head, glaring disapprovingly at the team. "No, I wouldn't say it does, Anko." He turned to his silver-haired colleague. "What about you, Kakashi?"

Said instructor peered up from his iPhone to look at the guard, snorting his disapproval. "Looks like we need to add an extra twenty spins to me," he replied, returning his attention to the little device.

The rosette in the front line turned to rebuke her teammates when they started moaning their complaints. "Come on, guys! Get it together!" she told them, trying to repress her growl. "We've been working on this for three months."

Anko shook her head, her hands on her hips. "Five, six. Five, six, seven, eight," she counted down, watching, her lips pursed in a tight line, as the flags started spinning. Calling them as she saw them, she dished out corrections to girls that were still managing to mess up the basics. "Kimiko, watch the line in front of you for timing! Hanabi, keep your eyes up! Hana, perform! You look like you're constipated…"

With Iruka keeping the beat with the gock-block, the rosette kept time in her head. '78, 79, 80, 81…' she mentally counted, expertly keeping her flag spinning on track. '90, 91, 92…' She switched up her facial expressions to fulfill the performance requirement, alternating between joyous, hateful, and downright comical, not faulting even when Anko praised her.

"That's right, Sakura, work it out!" the purple-haired woman exclaimed. "Beautiful, Hinata! Yeah, Ino, I see you! You and Temari look awesome. TenTen, excellent work!"

Keeping her expression a smile for the last ten counts, Sakura finished up the drill. "Five, six, seven, eight, drop stop!" With a simple flick of the wrist, she flipped the instrument and caught it strongly with her gloved hands, holding the position like the rest of the guard until the instructors told them to relax.

"Alright, good job, I guess," Anko allowed with a sigh. "Make sure you roll up your flags and put them back in the guard closet. Remember that we have a workshop tomorrow from noon to five. If you're smart, you'll show up early."

"Be prepared to work tomorrow," Iruka threw in. "We've got our first show next Friday, and our first competition is in three weeks." He turned to Kakashi. "You have anything to add?"

"Hm?" He glanced up from his phone, blinking in confusion. "Oh, um…we'll be learning new drill (2) tomorrow so we'll be in the small gym. Please come prepared."

Anko laughed, sticking her thumb at the scarf-wearing man. "Someone needs to lose the phone. Seriously Kakashi, if I see you take it out during practice tomorrow to 'check the weather', I'm going to throw it…" Despite her light tone, everyone knew that she was serious… "Anyway, get out of here! See ya tomorrow."

The instructors didn't wait long before they headed out of the building to their cars, leaving the girls to themselves. Most of them headed off to the corner of the gymnasium to retrieve their belongings, others stayed in the middle to talk.

"I wonder what sort of drill we'll be learning tomorrow," the platinum blonde pondered, rolling up her flag. She scrunched her face up in distaste. "I hope it's not sabre (3)…" Heads of violet, brown, and dirty blonde nodded their agreements, grumbling.

The rosette laughed at her friends, spinning her flag flippantly. "Come on, Ino-pig, you know you love sabre," she teased. "And we haven't learned that part yet. Of course there's going to be a sabre line (4)."

"Sure, I love sabre," Ino retorted. "When it's not stabbing me in the cuder whenever I drop it! Not all of us have your 'natural grace' with weapons, Forehead Girl. I mean, aside from TenTen obviously, but still."

The dirty blonde chucked. "I wonder if Kakashi will finally get off his ass and write some work." By that, she was referring to his obsession with his new phone. "Anko's been teaching us everything so far, with Iruka throwing suggestions in."

"I'm sure he will," the violet-haired girl replied. "Sabre's his specialty. But I wonder if they're ever going to introduce the dance line…"

Ino giggled. "Why are you worrying, Hinata?" she asked with a grin. "It'll probably be written in with the sabre work for visual finesse." She put a hand on her hip, the other hanging on to her rolled up instrument. "Let's take bets on who's going where. Sakura and TenTen will make sabre without a problem, Hinata will be on dance line for sure, so that just leaves me and Temari." She indicated the dirty blonde teen with a nod of her head. "I'm praying for dance…"

Temari nodded in agreement. "I hear you…But two sabres won't be enough to hold the show," she reminded Ino. "I mean, we have a couple others who might fit the bill, but…"

The group collectively sighed, casting their eyes on the newbies.

"I still can't believe they actually put Hana and Kimiko on rifle (5)," TenTen complained. "They can't even tell the butt from the strap!" She clenched her eyes shut in irritation. "If we have to do pushups again because of those bimbos, I'm gonna scream…"

"How did they even make the team?" Sakura shook her head. "I mean, they're seniors. It's not like they're gonna improve much…" She blinked, smiling at Hinata. "Speaking of improvement, Hanabi's gotten a lot better. Have you been working with her?"

Hinata nodded, pleased that her sister had been noticed. "A little. She's been practicing a lot by herself though."

"Well, she's doing great." The five girls moved to the less crowded corner of the room, gathering their things.

After picking up their weapons and slipping on their shoes, the black-clad girls grabbed their bags and headed out the door, still chattering. Sakura offered to take everyone's equipment back to the guard closet, smiling when Ino offered to help her.

"You sure? I mean, I can do it myself if you want to get going," she assured the blonde, taking Hinata and Temari's equipment with ease. She adjusted the three groups to make transportation easier, waiting for Ino anyway.

Ino scoffed at her, her blue eyes twinkling in amusement. "Come on, Sakura. It's not like I really _want_ to go straight to work." She honestly had to wonder why they kept the flower shop open so late in the afternoon; most people bought their flowers in the morning… Taking TenTen's equipment, she said a quick goodbye to the others before heading down the hall with Sakura. "Besides, don't you want a ride home?"

Sakura shook her head at Ino's sympathetic glance, forcing a smile on to her face. "Nah, it's fine. Naruto can give me a ride if she's not here before then," she told her friend lightly.

"But…that's three hours…" She opened the door to the closet, letting the Haruno pass. She sighed when she saw that Sakura held on to her sabre when she exited the small room. "You're not seriously gonna keep practicing…"

The rosette shrugged, taking Ino's place as a doorstop while the blonde put every piece of equipment neatly in its respective bin. "My quads (6) need work…" she mumbled, slipping her gloves off of her hands and into her bag. "Maybe I'll read. I'm still not finished with all the reading for English…"

"Well neither am I!" Ino retorted, exiting the closet. She adjusted the bag on her shoulder. "I plan on spark-noting it. I don't have time to actually _read_."

"Remind me why you're in honors again?"

The blonde childishly stuck her tongue out at the rosette. "'Cause I copy off of you!" They walked outside, both vaguely taking note that Hinata and Hanabi were waiting on the curb for their ride. "Sure you don't want me to take you home? It's not that much out of my way…"

Sakura shook her head, smiling faintly. "No. It's fine, Ino. I can wait."

Ino still wasn't convinced, but relented anyway. "Alright. See ya tomorrow, Forehead Girl." She stepped off the curb, rifling through her bag until she found her keys. She was in her car and out of the parking lot in a matter of minutes.

"Sakura? Did you need a ride?" Hinata asked, walking up to her friend with Hanabi in tow. "My dad will be here soon. I'm sure he won't mind if we take you home."

Hanabi nodded, smiling at the veteran. "Yeah," she agreed. "Dad loves you." Just as she said this, their father's car pulled into the lot.

Sakura chuckled, but shook her head. "Seriously, it's fine," she stated. The car came to a stop and she waved the two girls on. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? And Hanabi, keep up the good work," she added with a wink.

The young girl nodded, grinning widely as she opened the car door. That grin was replaced with a yelp of fright when her cousin leapt out, startling her. "Neji! Not cool, you jerk!" she screeched, stomping her foot indignantly before getting into the car.

Hinata shook her head slightly, but said nothing to her older cousin, getting into the car without a word to him. "S-See you tomorrow, Sakura," she stuttered, closing the door.

As soon as the car started pulling out, Sakura glared at the Hyuga. "Was that really necessary, or do you always have to be a jerk?" she hissed, gripping her sabre angrily. She _really_ couldn't stand him.

He smirked at her, clutching a soccer ball under his arm. "Now, now, Haruno. Have to keep myself entertained, don't I?"

She wanted to smack that smug look right off his face, but held her temper in check.

Neji Hyuga was the captain of the soccer team. A junior this year, he was entered into school late and therefore shared a lot of classes with the pink-haired spitfire. Sure, he was handsome enough, but the way he tormented his cousins was simply deplorable to Sakura.

The fact that he was the soccer captain only contributed to the hostility she often bestowed upon him. It was a well-known fact that the soccer team and colorguard seldom got along. The only ones on the team she was actually friends with were Lee and Naruto.

"Don't you have practice or something?" she growled, not bothering to hide her aversion to him.

He chuckled, looking down at her. "Doesn't start for another few minutes."

He knew her quite well. Sakura Haruno, also a junior, was a straight A student and colorguard member. She was also best friends with Naruto Uzumaki and his cousin, Hinata Hyuga. She was attractive enough, but because of their conflict of interest they weren't exactly on good terms.

"Well then, don't you have something better to do? I mean, aside from annoying me?"

He shook his head, smirking devilishly. "Not at all. Now tell me, what is the purpose of that flimsy little sword?" He indicated her cradled sabre with great amusement. "I mean, aside from repelling all of your prospects?"

Her face flushed at the comment, her rage intensified. She uncrossed her arms and held it threateningly at him. "I'll show you just how 'flimsy' it is!"

He wasn't impressed at her display. "Please, Haruno. You and I both know you don't have the strength."

"What!"

"Hey guys! What's, uh, going on?" A spiky blonde haired boy was walking up to them, twirling his keys in one hand and carrying his ball in the other. "Neji? What'd you do to piss Sakura off?"

"Hn…Nothing."

"This jerk is calling me weak!" she told him in disbelief. "Can you believe that, Naruto?"

The whiskered teen glared at his captain. "Um, have you met Sakura?" he asked sarcastically. "She probably could beat the crap out of you, dude. Especially if she has her sabre with her…"

"Thank you!"

"Please. That's like saying being a flaget is being an athlete," he scoffed, dropping his ball and holding it in place with his cleat-adorned foot, crossing his arms over his chest. "And we both know that an athlete you are not, Haruno."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, staring at his captain. "Uh, hate to say it man, but she's probably more fit than the entire soccer team combined," he said with a shrug. "And I'm not just saying that because she's my best friend. And I know for a fact that she's stronger than you are." 'Mentally, at least,' he inwardly amended.

Neji narrowed his eyes. "Hmph. I can guarantee that I'm more physically fit than she is. I mean, I can honestly say I've never seen your team do anything that even so much as mimics physical strain."

She glared right back at him. "Then obviously you're not looking very hard," she retorted. "Stop by for a practice sometime. Maybe you'll learn something."

"What's there to learn?" he sneered. "Nothing of merit, I'm sure."

"I'd love to see you try to do what we do!"

"If I did, I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard Haruno…"

Naruto's head was moving back and forth so fast he was starting to develop a crick. He nearly winced when he saw the rosette smirk. 'Uh-oh… This can't be good…' He debated whether or not he should start backing away. 'A smirk from her is never good…'

"Is that a bet, Hyuga?"

"No, Haruno," he bit out smugly. "It's a fact."

Naruto cringed to himself when he saw Sakura smirk once more in triumph. Something bad was going to happen soon. He could feel it. Something , like, space-time continuum ripping bad was going to happen…

"Then you won't be afraid to back up that statement," she drawled, a mischievous look dancing in her eyes. "I want you here, in the band room, tomorrow at eleven-thirty. You've just become a flaget."

"You don't seriously think I'm agreeing to this Haruno…"

"Yes. Yes as a matter of fact, I do. And do you know why?" She asked this with a sugary sweet voice, her eyes narrowing to slits at the very next instant. "Because that overgrown ego of yours won't allow you to back down from this bet. Besides, whatever would your team think if they knew you turned down a girl's challenge? One that was supposedly so easy to overcome?"

"You wouldn't…" His tone was low, threatening even. But she wasn't deterred in the least.

"I would," she assured him in a tone just as low.

His ivory eyes were full of hatred as he regarded her, his teeth biting down on his tongue to keep himself from making a scene; some of the other players were starting to arrive, and it wouldn't do to draw too much attention to himself.

Eventually, he conceded. "Fine," he growled, gripping his ball tightly. "What time did you want me here?"

Naruto's eyes were the size of saucers as his surprise escalated to fear at the fact that his captain, Mr. Stick-Up-His-Ass Neji Hyuga, was actually agreeing to Sakura's terms.

"Eleven-thirty."

"But I have practice from—"

"Nine to eleven. I know. You'll have a half-hour to get to the band room after your practice is over," she stated matter-of-factly. "I partially designated that time to save you the embarrassment of being found out by your team."

"Hey, Sakura, um…I don't really think that…" Naruto's attempt at protest backfired when she continued on.

"Oh, that's right! Good point, Naruto," she praised sarcastically, grinning like a madwoman. "Because it's doubtful that you'll get anything out of observing just one practice, you should come to all practices and competitions that don't interfere with your soccer practice and games, got it?"

The Hyuga turned his glare on the blonde as if it were truly his fault, to which Naruto put his hands up in defense, looking apologetic.

"Oh, would you look at that!" She indicated the soccer field, where a handful of guys were gathering. "Isn't it almost time for your practice to start?" she asked innocently, smiling as Neji's face flushed.

It was as if she suddenly realized something, the smile falling from her face quite abruptly. Frantically she turned away from them, her eyes scanning the parking lot. Sighing in relief when she found that _his_ car wasn't there yet, she turned back to Naruto.

"Hey, um…I'm going to go wait inside…" she told him quietly. "Can I count on you for a ride home if I'm still here when your practice is over?"

The blonde's face grew serious as well, much to the Hyuga's confusion, understanding the rosette's situation. "Of course," he told her levelly, giving her a firm nod.

"Thanks, Naruto," she said, pulling him into a quick hug. Being close enough to the whiskered teen in this position without Neji being able to see, she whispered in his ear. "Please don't let _him_ know that I'm still here…If he disappears, come find me, okay?"

He nodded seriously. "Don't worry about it. I'll come find you after practice if nothing happens, 'kay?" he whispered back, pulling away and smiling at her reassuringly.

"Kay…"

Neji watched the display with something akin to annoyance, rolling his eyes. He never was one for enjoying another's public display of affection.

Abruptly she turned around, fixing him with her intense emerald gaze. "Hyuga. Eleven-thirty. Tomorrow," she stated. "I assume you know where the band room is?"

He rolled his eyes haughtily but nodded regardless, turning sharply on his heel and storming away, giving her a mock salute as he left.

Shaking his head at his captain's behavior, Naruto sighed. "Well, I'd better go to. You know, being a part of the soccer team and all." He gave her a confident smile. "I'll see ya later, Sakura. I'll call you after practice to see if you're still here." When she nodded, he too turned around and headed for the soccer field, jogging to catch up to his teammate.

She shook her head good-naturedly and gave the parking lot one last scan, sighing once more in relief when she noted that _his_ car still wasn't there. Clutching her sabre to ease her nerves, she headed back into the building, sitting out of sight.

Once she was sure she was safe, she allowed herself a small smile, just thinking about all the trouble that was sure to come from this little dare.

**End Chapter**

A/N: Hm, well, I guess I kind of like this better than my original first chapter. It's a little bit longer, and I think it makes a little more sense. I'll have to go back and tweak my other chapters a bit just to make sure everything stays that way, but it should work out just fine.

Oh, here's the term explanations:

(1): Drop spins: a basic spin done with a flag.

(2): Drill: The choreography for the show.

(3): Sabre: a weapon used in performances; a dull sword.

(4): Sabre line: the group of guard girls that performs with a sabre during the show.

(5): Rifle: a weapon used in performances; a wooden gun.

(6): Quads: a toss with either a rifle or a sabre. The weapon, when tossed, spins four times in the air before being caught.

If anyone has any questions about a term, just ask me. :)

Well, please review to my new story! I'm excited, because it's pretty original, and it's my first new story under my new penname. Remember that I was previously Umi no Kaiso.

Anyway, I'll update soon! Just make sure to leave a review for my efforts!

-Samara


	2. First Impressions

A/N: Hey my readers! I hope you liked the first chapter of "Dare to Spin"! I think this is going to be one of my better stories. I almost forgot to update. ;) Just so you know, my official deadline will be Monday nights, m'kay?

For those of you that are thinking, "Neji totally wouldn't agree to that!". Um, yes, let me remind you that this is **my** story, so I can do what I want as long as it makes some kind of sense.

I know it may have seemed like he was too easily swayed, but let's be honest here, in reality it would take him forever to cave in, and I actually want to get this story **started** sometime this year.

If you were looking for a Disclaimer, it's in the first chapter like I promised it would be, and any songs used in this story will be put on a disclaimer as well. All I own is the plot of this story, and my friends own the dances they perform for this story.

Anyway, please enjoy this next chapter!

**Chapter 2: First Impressions**

Neji had remained after practice like he had promised that crazy pink-haired girl, using the excuse that his ride was going to be a little late picking him up to keep his team off his back.

When everyone had finally gone he made his way into the school to the boys' locker rooms to take a quick shower and remove all of the dirt and sweat that he had accumulated at his soccer practice. He couldn't have the Haruno thinking that even he, Neji Hyuga, got _dirty_. The thought was absurd…

By the time he had finished and redressed it was almost 11:30 AM. Sakura would be waiting in the band room soon, and he would be on time. If Hyugas were known for anything, it was their cleanliness, punctuality, and altogether cooperativeness…

He walked into the band room, expecting to have to wait for her to arrive, but to his surprise she was already there.

"Wow… Five minutes early. Impressive, Hyuga," she told him, chuckling to herself as she started walking out into the hallway.

"Where are you going?" he asked, ignoring her remark.

She simply looked at him like he was stupid. "I'm going to go get the equipment, Hyuga. I need to lay it out before everyone else gets here. You can help if you want or go sit and wait until I'm done," she said, opening a door off to the right of the band room.

Neji recalled that he had seen that door many times when walking down the hall, but he'd never known what it was used for. When he looked inside he was surprised that the room was as small as it was. If he were to walk in there with Sakura, it would be way too crowded.

She came out moments later with her arms full of flags and a handful of rifles. "If you could grab the last six rifles, that would be great," she said, kicking the band room door back open.

Shrugging, he did as she asked, taking the six rifles out of the guard closet and back into the band room where Sakura was spreading out the flags and rifles.

"How many did you carry?" he asked, surprised at the amount she carried into the room without seemingly straining herself.

"Um…" she started, putting her hands on her hips as she overlooked the things she brought it as Neji set his down. "Eleven practice flags and four rifles, 'cause you got the last six."

He was mildly impressed at her upper body strength; even just carrying those six rifles, there was a small burn in his arms. They were heavier than they looked.

"Alright…" she said, sitting on the ground and grabbing her tote bag. Going through it, she pulled out a pair of gloves and tossed them at Neji. "These might be a little tight, but I'll order you a bigger pair soon. You only really need them for flag or weapon work, but I don't think you'll need them as much. You'll only be observing and participating a little."

"You're in an unnaturally good mood…" he muttered, taking the gloves with narrowed eyes.

She shrugged. "You haven't ruined it for me yet," she replied, continuing to rifle through her bag. She pulled out a water bottle and set it next to her belongings.

She seemed about to say something else when her phone rang, an interesting techno ringtone echoing in the spacey room.

"Oh, that's Anko. Give me a minute," she said, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "It's your little Cherry speaking! What's up?"

"_Hey, Cherry, love your face! I'm guessing you're already in the band room?"_

"Yeah, and I have a tag-along. He's going to be spending the rest of this season with us. I hope that's ok," she said to her instructor, making sure to clarify the situation.

"_Define the rest of the season…"_ Anko replied testily, seemingly annoyed. "_I really don't want to write in an extra part in the show we've almost _finished_ writing, Sakura."_

"Oh, don't worry. He'll only be learning technique this season, and I'll teach him. It's to teach him a lesson," explained Sakura, starting to pace the room.

Neji was only able to pick up on little parts of the conversation, but it was obvious they were talking about him. He was pretty confident he was the only guy they had.

"_Alright…"_ finally agreed Anko, sighing. "_It's not your Naruto friend, is it? I don't think I'd be able to handle it…"_

Sakura laughed a little, finding Anko's worry amusing. "No, it's not Naruto."

"_He's gay, isn't he…"_ joked Anko, though at the same time partially serious. "_That or he lost a bet. No straight guy in their right mind would do color guard… Plus we've got our own little Gay-Brigade with Kakashi and Iruka. I don't think there'd be any more room for another one…"_

Sakura was, at this time in hysterics. She stole a glance at Neji and laughed even harder picturing him gay. "More like a dare he couldn't turn down!" cackled the rosette, trying to catch her breath. At his questioning look she lost it again.

" _Damn… Oh well, the taunting will be worth it… But will he be able to pay any of the fees? Since he won't need materials or a costume or anything, he'd only have to pay for travel costs,"_ asked the purple-haired instructor, concerned about how much more they'd have to pay for another member.

"I'll take care of it. I kind of forced him into it anyway," she conceded, smiling brightly. "Will you be here on time or will I have to start without you?" she asked, looking at the clock that now read 11:40 AM.

"_I'll be there in about a half-hour if traffic's good. Stretch them and when you're done, if I'm still not there, do crunches and pushups, fifteen in each position,"_ she instructed. "_Victoria is coming around two, Kakashi is always late, and Iruka wasn't going to be here today anyway, so don't be concerned if—"_

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I've been here long enough to learn their timing patterns. I'll see you when you get here."

"_See ya, and tell the new guy I said 'hi!'"_ With that, Anko hung up, leaving Sakura to do the same and get back to her newbie.

"Anko says 'hi', just so you know," she told him, shaking her head as she stuffed her phone back in her bag.

"Anko?" he asked, unfamiliar with the name.

"Our instructor. There's also Kakashi and Iruka, but you probably won't meet Iruka until next practice," she said, explaining. "I should probably give you a fair warning though; Iruka's gay and Kakashi's bi… I don't want you freaking out if one of them starts, like, hitting on you or something…"

"Oh, great," he sneered, crossing his arms over his chest haughtily. "Is every guy that participates in this activity sexually confused?"

"Oh don't be such a baby! I've seen an all guy band and color guard perform, and let me tell you, they _definitely _weren't gay. At least, not all of them…" she corrected herself, remembering how amazing the show was.

Neji sighed. It was his own fault really… If only he hadn't talked to her, he wouldn't be in this situation…

"Now let's run over some basics before everyone gets here."

X-X

"No, Hyuga! That's wrong!" yelled the Haruno in frustration. "And it's almost noon so I don't have time to run through it again with you!"

She had been trying to teach the boy chasses (pronounced sha-say) and sautés (pronounced so-tay) but he just wasn't picking up the most basic of basics yet.

Meanwhile, Neji had been wondering what had happened to the somewhat civil girl he had been talking to only minutes ago. It was like she was a completely different person… Well, not a _completely _different person. As far as he was concerned, she was still a bitch.

"Have you ever considered that people of the male variety weren't meant to do these things?" he retorted crossly, a little put off with how much detail there was in such a simple maneuver.

"Kakashi and Iruka can do them! That means you should be able to do them too!" she shot back, her anger mounting.

"Well Kakashi and Iruka can just kiss my—"

"Eh-hem!" came an interruption from the entryway, causing the two to look towards the doors.

"Oh! Hinata! When did you get here?" asked Sakura, her fury forgotten.

"A few minutes ago," she replied quietly upon seeing Neji staring at her. "I went to fill up my water bottle first…" She paused, looking shyly at her best friend while sparing a quick glance at her cousin. "What's Neji doing here?"

"He was dared to see if he could last a season in guard," she informed her, smirking as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It's unfair, really. Half of it's already over."

"How are you going to explain it to the others?"

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but closed it just as quickly; she had no excuse ready for her team… Neji looked at her with disbelief, shaking his head at her mockingly.

Resisting the urge to glare at him, she tried to come up with a solution. _'Well, none of the new girls know him or about him…So at least the rumors won't get out of control…' _she thought, voicing it as she contemplated the situation.

"You're right," murmured Hinata, setting her stuff down next to Sakura's. "We could say Father made him come help out. They'd believe that…"

"Thank God for your overbearing father," sighed Sakura jokingly. "Is that alright with you Hyuga?"

"Hn…"

"Great!" exclaimed the rosette, beaming. "Oh! Victoria's coming to teach us weapon work! I can't wait!"

"Sakura… I'm not on weapon line… So I really don't see why I should be excited…" reminded the younger Hyuga, looking briefly back out the door to see if her sister was coming.

"Details, details," she replied, waving her friend off. "She's also going to teach us dance, so I don't see what you're complaining about."

"But I'm…not…" the Hyuga heiress trailed off, her voice fading as she didn't want to get pulled into an argument. 'Complaining…' she finished lamely in her mind, sighing when it seemed that no one even heard her in the first place.

…

It didn't take much longer for the rest of the color guard to file into the band room, and when they did, they didn't seem to take much notice to Neji, most likely mistaking him for a stray band kid waiting for the rest of his section.

"Alright! Block it up everyone!" Sakura shouted over the loud voices of some of the more obnoxious members, alerting them that practice had officially started.

The Hyuga watched curiously as the other thirteen girls walked silently to their spots without much complaint, aside from what he assumed were some from the newer members.

"Anko will be here soon, but until then we're going to stretch and condition," she told them, setting her iPod up on her iHome.

Neji took this time to observe them, never mind the fact that he was supposed to be participating. He couldn't believe that they were all actually listening to her; her! A girl that could hardly be taken seriously with her bubblegum pink hair and overly sunny disposition. It was quite astounding really…

The Haruno put on a slow song to stretch to, letting them relax before the more rigorous stuff started. She was fluid in her movements, yet she obviously had a sense of power about her, like she was in control of everything she did, and Neji couldn't help but notice that most everyone else was lacking this sort of appearance, no matter how much they tried to duplicate it.

He didn't realize that he had been staring until he heard her say something about conditioning.

"Alright, heads facing the back wall. Ten sets of fifteen crunches, fifteen in each position, up for two then down for two, got it?"

She put on a faster song to get them through the exercise, and he was genuinely surprised at the amount of crunches they did. Their way of doing them was a little strange though; instead of tucking the chin and moving up, they lifted theirs, exposing their necks and not letting them touch their chests.

For some of the more revealing positions, he had to look away, not wanting to get scolded for looking _there_. It was the spread eagle position after all…

"Alright, stretch it out."

A quick yoga-type stretch was done to ease the tightness of the muscles worked in the exercise, but Sakura didn't allow them much of a break.

"Now, push-ups. Three sets of fifteen, one set in each position, starting with triangle. Keep your heads up," she ordered, very in control of what was going on. "Five, six! Five, six, seven, eight!"

…

"Eating your words yet, Hyuga?" questioned the Haruno smugly, taking a sip of her water.

He scoffed, trying not to show how impressed he really was. "Please…"

She rolled her eyes at him, throwing her drink by her bag. "You would say that… You didn't do anything! You just sat and watched!" she accused, glancing at the clock. "Look, we're here till 5:00, so if you want to get anything worthwhile out of this, I'd start participating."

Before he could reply she was calling in the other girls from their water break.

"Stretch whatever you need to before Anko shows up. It's a five hour practice, and that means no mercy," she warned them, making her way towards Hinata. "Hinata, wanna help me with wall stretches?"

The timid Hyuga girl nodded and walked with Sakura to the wall, grabbing her leg and holding it waist level.

"Ah… It hurts so good…" moaned Sakura, nodding for Hinata to raise her leg higher.

Neji was honestly surprised at her flexibility, silently amazed as Hinata now held Sakura's foot level with the top of her head.

After both of her legs were thoroughly stretched, Sakura did Hinata's who, while still flexible, was just shy of Sakura's own elasticity.

"Okay, grab your things and head to the small gym. Anko should meet us in there whenever she decides to show up," she jokingly ordered. "Oh!" she exclaimed, seemingly remembering at the last minute. "Sabres, grab your sabres, just in case. You know how unpredictable Kakashi and Anko are…"

The handful of Sabres did as they were told, quickly picking up their weapons and setting to obeying their captain. They were out of the band room like a flash, intent on getting to the small gym before everyone else to get some quick gossip in.

"And when I get in the gym I'd better see _nice_ pole piles!" she yelled in a mock-intimidating fashion.

Neji looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"What, Hyuga?" she hissed, catching the look and not liking it at all.

"Aren't the coaches the ones to give orders? I think you're exceeding the responsibilities given to you, Haruno," he intoned insightfully.

She glared at him, choosing her words carefully. "You don't know what you're talking about. This is exactly what the instructors want; taking charge. If no one does, the whole team gets punished."

"It's the job of the instructors to instill order, not yours."

"Now that's what I call a pot calling the kettle a pot," she retorted, chuckling without humor. "You do the same thing as captain of the soccer team. The only difference is that _Itachi's_ breathing down your neck…"

He didn't take notice to her knowing the name of his coach, insisting upon his opinion of the matter at hand. "Please… I do as I'm instructed to while you take things into your own hands, and eventually, you'll be hated because of it," he bit out, offering his take.

She sneered at him, picking up her things. "I'm touched at your concern, Hyuga," she replied sarcastically. "But all of the other vets understand this. I'll gladly be the bitch that everyone loathes if it means this guard can be as great as our instructors tell us it is."

He said nothing more as she stormed out of the band room, having nothing else to say at that remark. He had to wonder why he got so into the argument, small as it was. Really? It was none of his concern and he knew that, yet he insisted on offering his advice.

"Stupid…" he muttered, looking out the doors that she had come from.

He thought over the seemingly pointless conversation, relaying over everything that was said between them.

'_The only difference is that _Itachi's _breathing down your neck…'_ he remembered her saying. It puzzled him at that moment that he didn't realize she knew who Itachi was. And she had said his name with such _venom_, as if he were the scum of the earth.

"How the Hell does she know Itachi?" he asked more to himself than anyone else, honestly not expecting an answer.

"Maybe you should ask her," a gruff voice replied. "'Cause you're not going to figure it out by yourself and I sure as hell ain't gonna tell you." It was definitely a woman, but her voice was rougher than one would expect.

He whipped around so fast his head spun, not expecting the reply he received.

"Anko's the name, and you must be Sakura's tag-along slash new recruit. Care to give your name, or will you just be known as 'the new gay boy' all season?" she asked him with a smirk, brushing past him with confidence. She had come from the back doors, which explained why Neji hadn't noticed her before.

"Neji Hyuga…" he replied bitterly, his impression of Anko already a negative one. And yet he followed after her…

"Ah, Hina's brother?"

"Cousin…"

The violet haired woman simply nodded, continuing to make her way towards the small gym where her girls were practicing.

They stopped at the door to the gymnasium, Anko giving her back to the young man.

"Look Hyuga… I don't know how Itachi runs things on your team and I don't care," she intoned darkly, as if knowing something he didn't. "But I wouldn't push Sakura on this. I do expect this of her, and she has handled the responsibility maturely."

He would've replied if he could've thought of anything to say, or if Anko hadn't turned around with this huge, smirk-like grin on her face.

"Now that that's over with, welcome to the team. I can tell we're going to have a lot of fun…" Her smirk grew. "Well… I know I will…"

With that she turned and walked into the gym, an exclamation of "Hey girl, hey!" echoing in the large, open room.

**End Chapter**

A/N: Well, that's chapter two. I thought I was making Sakura too nice at the beginning of the chapter, but then I remembered that Sakura isn't a naturally hostile person unless given a reason, and what better reason than a pointless fight with Neji, that's really not all that pointless.

Um, to my colorguard captain friend, do you know how to spell the techniques? I seriously have no idea... I've asked around, but no one else seems to know either...

Anyway, the argument was based off of one that I had with my mother. She didn't like me taking charge and trying to organize a practice… And we're getting a little more insight into the two main characters. That's always good.

So… I hope you liked this chapter, and I hope to update soon!

Please review!

-Samara


	3. Green: The Color of Epic Fail

A/N: Hey, readers! Here's the next chapter of Dare to Spin! I really don't have much of an author's note since this is a prewritten chapter, so just enjoy!

Song in mind for Sakura: "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson. (You'll understand later in the chapter. )

**Chapter 3: Green; The Color of Epic Fail**

"What do you mean you're not coming!" demanded the violet haired woman, obviously furious with the person on the other end of the phone.

The group of young girls watched Anko pace the gym, practically rampaging and breathing fire. As it turned out, Victoria wouldn't be coming to practice that day…

"_Now, now Anko," _tried to pacify her long time friend. "_I just missed my flight. I slept in a little late and—"_

"Don't lie to me Tori!"

"_Fine! I was drunk and so incapacitated that I missed my flight! Happy?"_

Kakashi had arrived only minutes ago, but when he noticed that Anko was on the phone and clearly not happy, he decided that it would be in his best interest to stand in the corner until her tirade was over…

As soon as Anko had walked in at the start of practice, she had introduced Neji as "_the new gay boy that is with us for the season. Say hi, girls," _to which the Hyuga angrily responded with an "_I'm not gay!"_. This ultimately solved the problem of Sakura introducing him, because in all honesty, most of the girls were too afraid of Anko to question her.

Anko, having talked to Sakura earlier, assigned the Hyuga as the rosette's newbie, the one who she would oversee in technique and help him with anything he might need.

Neji, while frustrated, resigned himself to his fate. There was nothing he could do, unless he wanted to be humiliated in front of his team, and that was definitely not an option.

Finally, Anko let out an incomprehensible stream of words, more than likely all of them cursing Victoria, before huffing and hanging up the phone.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed, feeling the extreme urge to pull on her hair to relieve her stress. She glanced at the clock behind her briefly and groaned; there was only an hour of practice left and half of it had been spent waiting for Victoria.

While not a total waste of time, as new techniques and exercises were learned in that two hour time span, Victoria's instruction had been what was planned for the rest of the practice, and now that put them behind.

As Anko battled with herself to decide what to do, the group of girls now started to talk amongst themselves.

Two of the older girls, seniors who had needed an extracurricular credit to graduate and had just barely got through try outs to be on the team, were whispering to each other while glancing at the Hyuga suggestively.

There was no doubt about it; he was hot, and he had denied that he was gay so there was neither harm nor foul in flirting with him.

Approaching him, both girls attached themselves to one of his arms.

"So, _Neji_," purred one, "My name's Hana Mesuinu."

"And I'm Kimiko Baishunfu," the other added, batting her eyelashes in what one could assume was supposed to be a seductive manner.

"Uh… Hi…" he replied uncertainly, a little put off by the attention.

Both giggled in an annoyingly high pitch, making him wince.

Sakura watched the exchange, at first enjoying herself. "Serves him right…" she mumbled, still bitter about how he tried to tell her how to handle her team. However, as she continued to watch the two underachievers flirt with the uncomfortable Hyuga, she began to feel remorseful for watching him suffer.

Seeing as Anko was still fuming at Victoria and Kakashi was still hiding in the corner, Sakura decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Hana, Kimiko," she said sternly, walking briskly up to the three. "Mind telling me what you're doing to Hyuga?"

The two seniors looked at Sakura as if she were a major annoyance, staring at her in a condescending manner.

"We're only talking, Sakura…" growled Hana, glaring at the pinkette.

"Really? 'Cause you should be working on your pop tosses. They're weak and I know Anko will be on your asses if they look like they did last night," she chided, crossing her arms over her chest to successfully appear intimidating.

Kimiko rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Please, they look better than yours," she shot back.

"Uh-huh…" Sakura replied disbelievingly.

"You know what Haruno?" hissed Hana, releasing the Hyuga's arm and taking a few steps back. "Why don't you go take care of that mother of yours and leave us alone, hm?"

Sakura's eyes darkened considerably, alerting Kimiko and Hana that they were treading on dangerous ground.

After a moment of heavy silence in which the two seniors got the message to say no more on the matter, Sakura ordered, "Get back to work, rookies," before turning sharply on her heel and returning to her block spot.

Hana glared at Sakura's retreating form, half tempted to disobey her and continue flirting with the hunk of delicious man meat in front of her. She was, however, not stupid; Sakura was perfectly capable of destroying her…

With a huff of annoyance she too turned on her heel, grabbing her flag and doing some drop spins, her own small way of disobeying the veteran. Kimiko followed after her example, blowing a kiss Neji's way before she also returned to her spot.

The Hyuga was annoyed by the two girls that had been hanging on his arms and was quite grateful that Sakura had come to his rescue, but he couldn't help but notice her change in demeanor when her mother was mentioned. He glanced back to her spot to find that she wasn't there, and immediately he wondered where she wandered off to.

Across the gym, Anko sighed, finally cooling down from her ballistic rage from her conversation with the irresponsible guest instructor.

"Alright everyone, let's get in a line! We're going to do improv dance and acting for the remainder of the practice," the violet-haired instructor announced. "Hyuga, go find Sakura. She went into the bathroom." Hinata started to walk towards the door, but Anko had other plans. "No, Hinata! Hanabi! Sit down! I meant the _other_ Hyuga."

"But—" he tried to protest, being cut off by the woman.

"You'll be fine! No one else is here, just go get her!" she said, waving him off.

Hesitating, Neji, still unsure of actually purposefully entering the girl's bathroom yet also on the receiving end of a menacing look courtesy of Anko, ran off to the girl's room where the rosette supposedly was.

X.X

"Ugh!" _**BAMFFF!**_

The door of yet another bathroom stall slammed against the wall of the small cubicle.

For the last few minutes Sakura had been kicking open the doors of the stalls to vent out her overpowering anger. What Hana had said to her had sent her over the edge, her mother a very tender subject in her life.

She'd approached Anko and without being told the older woman had already known, sending Sakura off to go release her frustrations. Anko just somehow always knew what was bothering her…

_**BAMFFF!**_ Another door…

"What did the door ever do to you?"

In her surprise, Sakura kicked out at the unexpected visitor, her foot being caught by his hand.

"Watch it, Haruno!" he growled, releasing her foot and shaking off the sting.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, her voice low and almost threatening. "This is the girl's bathroom."

"Anko sent me," he informed her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Some dance exercise or something…"

She looked at him distrustfully, eventually nodding in acceptance. "Give me a minute…"

Kick. _**BAMFFF!**_

"Do you want me to leave or…"

"Do what you want. I don't really care at the moment," she snarled, kicking again. _**BAMFFF!**_

"What's got you so worked up?" he asked, minutely alarmed at her rage and power.

"None. _**BAMFFF!**_ Of your. _**BAMFFF!**_ Business! _**BAMFFF!**_" she roared, every few syllables accented with another kicking in of the bathroom stall doors.

Finally she seemed to think it was enough, panting as her rage was expressed how she saw fit. Taking in a deep breath, Sakura rose to her full height and calmly looked at her bathroom companion. "Ready to go, or did you want to explore the girl's room a little longer?"she asked tauntingly, seemingly back to herself.

She brushed past him, bracing herself for another encounter with Hana and Kimiko. The only thing stopping her from beating both of them to a bloody pulp was that if she had done so, she would've had to leave the colorguard team, and that was not an option. It was her life, and she couldn't lose it.

By the time she had walked back into the gym, where music for the improv dance was playing, she had schooled her face into a pleasant grin, a complete u-turn on the emotional scale. Neji followed close behind her.

"There you are Sakura!" exclaimed Anko, pausing the music as Hana was starting. "Go get in line! Hyuga, you too!"

They did as the woman said, moving to the rear of the group with the other veterans. Neji caught a sympathetic look being sent to the Haruno from her friends, and could only wonder what was so hard for her to handle.

Presently, she seemed completely fine. Of course, her display in the bathroom had him questioning the goings on in her mind. Her initial rage had been sparked, he guessed, when Hana and Kimiko made a reference to her mother, but, seeing as he knew next to nothing of the Haruno's family background, he couldn't imagine what they were trying to get at.

He wasn't aware that he had been thinking so deeply on the issue until he saw Sakura step forward to take her turn. Anko was switching the song specifically for the rosette, and he had to wonder if the woman was picking a song to match her mood. He supposed that, if she was, it would be an excellent way to let the girl vent her emotions.

Finally Anko had selected an appropriate song for her, leaning back against the far wall as she waited for Sakura to start her improv. Kakashi stood against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, watching the rosette carefully.

When Sakura finally stepped delicately into the designated dance floor, he saw a visible transformation take place, not only in her expression (he couldn't see her face), but in the very way she moved and carried herself. It was as if she had put her entire being into this one tiny performance. Her movements were so fluid in one moment, then intentionally spastic in the next.

Simply put, he was captivated. When we was able to catch a glimpse of her face, he took note of the pure, untainted emotion that showcased itself so clearly. He even swore he saw a small tear run down her cheek, but she had turned out of his sight so quickly that he couldn't be completely sure.

Anko had picked an especially emotional song for her to dance to, her movements telling the story so that the words didn't have to. The dance itself, while an improvisation, was done so fluidly that it seemed choreographed.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her; she was simply breathtaking.

Before he knew it she was finished, taking her final pose on the other side of the gym. There was an impressive amount of applause from her friends and from the instructors, but that wasn't enough to entice her to stay. Now that she was finished, it wasn't difficult for him to see the tear stains on her cheeks. She ran out the door the next moment, an effort to get herself together without letting the others see.

Interestingly enough, he found himself wondering if she would be alright. He still didn't particularly like her, but to see her in that much pain had him thinking about the issues she had to face when no one was looking. She was always so controlled, even when she was angry. He never remembered her ever looking so distraught.

It then became startlingly clear that he was alone. There was no one else in front of him, and he was the last in line…

"Alright, Hyuga. Let's see what you've got," sighed Anko, ripping her eyes off of the doorway that Sakura had disappeared through. Looking through the music on her iPod she finally decided on Sexyback by Justin Timberlake.

Hearing the female instructor call him out snapped him to his senses, jolting him back to reality.

'There is no way in hell…'

"Come on Hyuga, I don't have all night!" snapped the violet-haired woman, irritated beyond words that the young man was being so difficult. Especially after seeing Sakura so upset… She was deeply concerned for the girl, but was forced to remain in the gym with the others to keep from showing favoritism.

"No," he simply replied, looking at her as if she were insane.

"Hyuga, I swear, you will dance! I'm not going to say it again!"

Stubbornly he repeated his answer, glaring at her for her insistence.

Anko was clutching her iPod so hard that her knuckles were turning white, and a few of the girls worried that the device would be crushed in her death grip.

Kakashi tried to intervene. "Anko… Maybe it's too early to expect him to—"

"To what, Kakashi?" she demanded, turning her fury on the silver-haired man. "Just try to finish that sentence right now!"

The masked man smiled nervously, putting his hands up to show Anko that he meant no harm, and backed away slowly to return to his corner.

Anko let out another sigh, frustrated this time. "You know what Hyuga? I'm not gonna argue." Her face suddenly became peaceful and relaxed, a smile gracing her features as she paused the music. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out what appeared to be a green permanent marker.

"What the—"

"Oh it's nothing, really." Anko stood from her cross-legged position, tapping the marker against her free palm. "Think of it as…hm…a rite of passage, if you will…" She smirked, taking a few steps forward and motioning for her vets—TenTen, Temari, Ino, and Hinata—to follow her lead.

Neji, sensing that he was in for trouble, attempted to back away only to run into the wall behind him. He was cornered, with nowhere to go unless he wanted to bowl over a bunch of girls… While the thought tempted him, he knew it would be a bad idea…

"Hold him down!" ordered Anko, smirking devilishly as she opened the marker and threw the cap to the floor.

"What the hell are you doing!" demanded the soccer player, struggling uselessly as he was pinned against the wall by a bunch of giggling girls.

"You didn't want to dance," simply replied the ringleader, holding the green marker up to his face. "Now you must deal with the consequences…" Honestly, she wished Sakura was here to see this. It would have made her day so much better.

X.X

"Dude… What's with the bandages? Run into a stop sign or something?" asked Sasuke the next day, waiting for the rest of the soccer team to arrive for their practice.

Neji glared at his teammate, not wanting to be reminded of the abomination on his forehead.

"Fine, didn't really care anyway. No need to be such a pussy about it," scoffed the younger Uchiha, juggling his soccer ball on his knee.

If possible, the Hyuga's glare only intensified.

It was positively humiliating! And no one had even seen it!

Of course it had been his luck that it didn't wash off in the shower, no matter how hard he had scrubbed at it. His forehead had been completely raw afterwards, but that's not why he had donned the bandages.

'_Why the hell did I ever agree to this!'_ he angrily asked himself, ironically being reminded that it was to avoid being humiliated in front of his team…

What exactly was so embarrassing that it couldn't be seen by his fellow soccer players? Nothing too major, honestly, but it was bad enough to hide.

He was only glad that the Haruno hadn't been there to see it when it happened, because he knew without a doubt that Naruto would have heard about it. The stupid blonde would have held it over his head for a _long_ time, and he didn't quite trust the idiot to not tell everyone about what it was.

Even for the next few days of the repeated routine of showering only to scrub the damn thing off, the words "Epic Failure" in lime green marker ink refused to come off of his forehead, much to his displeasure.

**End Chapter**

A/N: And so, the mighty "Epic Fail" was born. The use of the green permanent marker and epic failure was used to portray Neji's curse mark, if you didn't already make the connection.

Yeah, so you can pretty much line up "Because of You" with Sakura's dance routine. Whenever a dance is in a chapter, I'll list the song that they're dancing to in the author's note at the start of the chapter. It'll give decent insight into the emotion of the character, and what sort of acting they're doing.

Also, Victoria is my friend's character. *shrug* I couldn't think of a character in the show that would match up with her personality, so she is just going to be Victoria… Luckily, she won't be mentioned much. Don't be too concerned about her.

Please review!

-Samara


	4. Just Another Panicked Monday

A/N: Well, chapter four already! I hope you all enjoy it! I really don't have much to say, so I'll just get started.

**Chapter 4: Just Another Panicked Monday**

It was still weird getting used to being back at school; only a week into the new school year and already the students were starting to wish that it was summer again.

It had been Sakura's luck that the damn Hyuga was in most of her classes; curse him for being almost as good a student as she was! She was honestly starting to think that he had arranged his schedule in such a way just to grate on her nerves… How else would they end up with the same AP classes during the same period! The bastard…

To be fair, she wasn't really mad at him… He had actually been quite civil with her in the past week. He was simply a scapegoat, one to vent her anger out on…

It started over the weekend with an eight hour guard workshop that left her questioning why she was in the guard for another season. Victoria, Anko's friend, had finally caught the right flight, leaving her available to teach _all_ day… A torturous day of weapon work and dance instruction, something she normally looked forward to.

Then, Neji never showed up. Soccer camp, or something, he had said.

On the plus side, Kimiko and Hana didn't have anyone to flirt with…and therefore no reason to insult her. Of course, that didn't stop them…

These were the things she brooded over as she walked by herself to her first period, her least favorite AP class, Biology… Of course, it had been recommended that she take the class in order to get a head-start on her major when she went to college, but for God's sake, she was going to be a renowned doctor and surgeon, not a soil analyst…

To make things better, note the sarcasm, her lab partner happened to be the Hyuga that she had been cursing in her mind, thanks to that wonderful order of seating that teachers favored the first semester back to school—alphabetical…

Her teacher was the locally known creeper, Orochimaru Hebino… Why the principal, Danzou Root, even bothered to hire him, she'd never know… He was just one of those teachers that made you afraid to stick around after class out of the fear that he might just rape you when he got you alone… But apparently he was a prodigy in the field of biology.

Hoping to get into the classroom first in order to get her thoughts together, while at the same time hoping that someone was there to keep Mr. Hebino away from her, she was both sorely disappointed and relieved to find that Neji was already there, reclining in his not so recline-able chair…

"You know, when that chair tips backwards and you crack your head on the floor," she started, dropping her bag by her chair and folding her arms over her chest, "you can bet I'm going to stand here, point, and laugh at you."

The coffee-haired teen regarded his lab-partner coolly, staring her in the eye as he set his chair down on all four legs. "Tough weekend?" he asked, unable to hide the unsympathetic tone in his voice.

"Say anything more and I'll shank you with my sabre…" she growled, pulling out her chair and seating herself with a huff.

He shrugged, not caring either way, and returned to reclining in his chair.

"Mr. Hyuga, four legs please," hissed Orochimaru, striding into the room without even looking in the Hyuga's direction, to which Sakura smiled smugly.

The pale, older man walked briskly into his back office, his arms filled with specimens in jars, presumably for the less advanced honors class. When he returned he was instead carrying his grade book, looking over the lesson plans for that morning's group of students.

One boring lesson on the difference between plant and animal cells later, the pinkette found herself wandering to her foreign language, Japanese V, taught by Henta Jiraiya. After, she had an art class, shared with some of her more eccentric friends, Sai Inkima, Sasori Akasuna, and Deidara Yamanaka, run by Baki Kiminara. Even that was uneventful, though she had to admit it gave her plenty of time to cool down…

It wasn't until she had another class with Neji, Team Sports II, that her day continued to go downhill. Luckily, Naruto was there with her… Normally, it was Gai Meito that ran the class; how was she to know that they had a substitute that day…

"Naruto! Get out of the girls' locker room!" screamed one of the other girls in the class. "You're such a pervert!"

Sakura was in the middle of slipping on her gym shirt when she heard the girl yell at her best friend. Her common sense told her that Naruto wasn't a big enough perv to just walk right into the girls' room.

"Where's Sakura!"

"Over behind those lockers…" the same girl answered, somehow grasping the urgency in the situation. "She's getting dressed."

'Great…' she thought when she heard the blonde's hurried run over the short distance. 'Send him over here thinking that…'

"Sakura!" breathed Naruto, staring her directly in the eyes as soon as he rounded the corner. Luckily, she was completely dressed, or else she feared that his gaze might rest elsewhere… "We have a problem!"

His shaking voice stunned her. "Wh-What's wrong Naruto?" she asked, unable to find herself angry with her friend like the other girls were…

"Gai's not here today!" he whispered quickly. "We have a sub!"

She let out a sigh of relief. A substitute? That was the urgent news? A day without the flamboyant, green spandex wearing teacher was like a day in paradise! Why was he complaining?

"So?" she asked in irritation. "What does that have anything to do with you being in the girls' locker room you idiot? You gave half the girls in here a heart attack!"

"Sakura, you don't understand!" the whiskered teen pleaded with his friend, stepping up to her and gripping her shoulders. "Our sub is _Itachi_!"

The mere utterance of the soccer coach's name was enough to make her freeze, her entire muscular system seizing up on her.

"What…What did you…?"

"Itachi is _here_!" he reiterated, his blue eyes showing his fear for his friend. "He's our fucking substitute!" He made sure to keep his voice down, knowing that Sakura wished to keep her fear of the man between them.

Another girl in the class happened to poke her head in the hall of lockers. "Um…Naruto, you know this is the _girls'_ locker room, right?"

Naruto ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair, releasing a sigh. "Why does everyone keep asking me that? Yes, I _know_ that it's the girls' locker room!"

"Uzumaki!" a male voice roared from outside the area with the authority only coaches could seem to command, causing Sakura to start shaking. "Get out here, now!"

"C-Coming Coach!" he stuttered in reply, starting to run towards the exit. Before he got too far away, he turned to Sakura, mouthing 'Get out of here!'.

"Uzumaki! I said now!" Itachi's voice commanded, the echo causing the tiles of the floor to vibrate.

The soccer player needed no more motivation than that, practically sprinting out of the room lest he obtain a punishment worse than what he already knew he was going to get…

Sakura simply stood there, waiting for the locker room to empty. She decided not to take Naruto's advice; what if Itachi was keeping watch, waiting for her to leave? She would wait a bit longer, she determined, until he was too engrossed in teaching the class. In the meantime, she leaned against the wall, sliding down until she was so inclined to curl up in a ball and cry…

X.X

"Ayane Datara!"

"Here!"

"Hana Fumare!"

"Here!"

"Sakura Haruno!" Even from his spot in the back, Naruto could clearly see the slight upturn on Itachi's lips as he said her name. When he got no response, they were pulled into a slight frown.

"Sakura Haruno!" he repeated, his eyes narrowing.

"I think she got sick, Mr. Uchiha," one of the girls from earlier informed him. "She looked really pale when I saw her earlier…"

"Hn… Very well," the Uchiha all but growled. "Neji Hyuga!"

"Here!"

The voice of his coach trailed off in his mind after his name was called. 'She looked fine earlier…' the Hyuga thought to himself. 'How could she have gotten sick so fast?'

He turned to look at his blonde teammate, knowing that he had disappeared from the boys' locker room a few minutes before class started. Perhaps _he_ would know something. What he saw, however, he was not expecting; Naruto was glaring at their coach…almost as if…

He shook his head to rid himself of such ridiculous thoughts; Itachi had been their coach since Neji had moved into the district four years ago. Naruto had been there since before that, and had never looked _that _furious, especially towards their coach. Then again…Itachi rarely stuck around for all of the practice; he usually had Neji run everything…

'Haruno implied a deep hatred for Coach…' he thought to himself. 'Could he be why she's not here?' After a moment of consideration, he shook that thought off as well; it was absurd.

X.X

It took a few minutes for the rosette to collect herself after the startling news… She moved only when she was completely sure that Itachi was otherwise preoccupied, changing quickly into her school uniform then quietly exiting the girls' locker room without a sound.

She didn't dare look into the gym… She feared that even seeing that man would cause her to freeze with panic, much like a deer caught in the headlights. Instead, she ran to the only place she knew she could find refuge without question. The band room.

The band director came into the district a few years before, Mr. Tazuna Hashi. He was by far the best director the program had obtained up to date, taking their band program to new heights every year. Fourth period was a free period for him. Even if he was a bit gruff, he would not question her presence in the band room.

It was just down the hall from the gymnasium, but even if Itachi thought to look for her there, there was a maze of rooms that she could decide to hide in.

Just before she walked into the band room, she decided to bypass it for the guard closet, grabbing her sabre; she briefly contemplated the dangers of practicing sabre while her mind was elsewhere, but determined that the mistakes she might make at first would force her to think of other things.

When she finally did enter the band room, void of people save for the handful of student aids gathered in Mr. Hashi's office, she set the rest of her things down and spun the instrument a few times, just to prepare herself.

Catching it strongly, without her gloves to soften the pain of hard metal on sensitive skin, she let her mind focus on this, and only this. She threw a triple, hissing when she caught it.

She continued on like this for awhile, the students in Mr. Hashi's office looking out the window to watch her. She was so absorbed that a student had to tap her shoulder in order to tell her that the bell had rung to send them to their next class.

She thanked the one who snapped her out of her thoughts and returned her trusty weapon to its spot in the guard closet, heading to her next class better off than she had been just the period before; the continuous spinning calmed her down, made her get a grip on her panicked thoughts.

She stopped briefly at her locker to gather her books for her final periods (Eleventh year English, AP Anatomy, and AP Calculus) before walking briskly to English, hoping that she wouldn't be late. That was the curse of having a band locker, she supposed; convenient for the kids actually in _Band _class, but a major pain to everyone else. The band lockers were too far from most classrooms in the school.

Luckily her brisk walk got her into the class just as the bell rang, ensuring that she was not late.

For whatever reason, be it budget cuts or something else, this specific English classroom had the science department's lab tables, guaranteeing that she and her least favorite Hyuga were seated next to each other. Quite honestly, she was beginning to hate alphabetical seating…

When she saw Neji already sitting at their shared desk, she had to repress the urge to hide her face. He now knew that she wasn't sick. He knew that she had skipped Team Sports… But, she determined, she would be damned if she let him know that his knowing bothered her! She wouldn't even breach the topic unless he brought it up first.

When their English, and for some Psychology, teacher, Kurenai Yuhi strode in the room, Sakura couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped her; he wouldn't bring it up now that the teacher was here. Of course her relief was short-lived when she saw him rip a piece of paper out of his notebook and start scribbling on it.

'So…He's resorted to note-passing has he,' she thought, once again wishing she could crawl into a hole. She honestly had no desire to explain her hatred of Itachi; it was far too painful… The only people who knew what happened were Naruto, Anko, and her mother, but Naruto wouldn't dare tell anyone out of fear that he would hurt Sakura by doing so, and her mother was too caught up in her own drunken stupor to even form comprehensible sentences… Anko… she might tell him if it suited her own hidden agenda, but it was unlikely.

Sakura really could have cried when he passed the note to her. '_Where the hell were you?'_ it read, from the quick glance she stole from it. Not wanting to answer, she pretended that she didn't notice it and focused on Ms. Yuhi instead.

Huffing in annoyance, he took the sheet of paper from her, writing something more and passing back. '_I know you saw it… Answer me!'_

Her eyes couldn't help flickering down to read his frustrated message, but upon seeing what it said she turned and glared at him, not appreciating being told what to do.

"Stop being childish!" he demanded in a whisper, his own silver eyes narrowing.

"I'm not the one passing notes like a junior high school girl," she shot back, equally quiet but shifting her gaze to the front of the room to appear as if she were paying attention. "Just drop it!"

He did as she told him, only for a moment to avoid being reprimanded by Kurenai, but started up again as soon as the teacher's eerie red eyes were off of him. "Would it have anything to do with Itachi and the way Naruto was glaring at him in Team Sports?" he asked, leaning forward in his seat to catch the look on her face.

She raised her hand instead of answering him.

"Yes, Sakura?" Kurenai asked, sighting the girl's hand in the air.

She glared at Neji from the corner of her eye as she put her hand down. "Can I _please_ be seated somewhere else, Ms. Yuhi?"

The teacher rolled her eyes. "No, Sakura. If you are still unhappy with your seating at the end of the semester I will move you, but for now you will stay where you are."

At the English teacher's answer, Sakura groaned and buried her head in her arms on her desk; she could just _feel_ the smug look Neji was sending her way… When she felt his breath on the shell of her ear she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Make things easy on yourself," he whispered, making sure that the red-eyed teacher wasn't looking at them. "Tell me why you weren't in gym."

She smirked. "You can demand answers from me until you're blue in the face; I'm not telling you anything," she hissed, clenching her fists so hard that her knuckles were turning white. "And don't bother trying to go to my friends; the only one who knows anything is Naruto, and he's not going to say a word…"

He let the subject drop for the moment, resolving to pick it up again after lunch when they had Anatomy together. While he considered her an annoyance, he was also starting to recognize her as a friend (in his own weird way), and it was bugging him that she refused to tell him anything.

Soon enough lunch was upon them, Sakura sharing the same lunch schedule as Naruto, Ino, Hinata, Sasori, Deidara, and Sai. Of course Neji also had the same schedule, as their classes before and after were the same, but he stayed with his soccer friends on the other side of the cafeteria.

She was sandwiched between Naruto and Sai, Deidara (Ino's brother) sitting straight across from her, sandwiched between his sister and Sasori. Hinata was on Ino's other side, staring at Naruto with a dreamy expression on her face. All of them, save for Naruto, were somehow involved in the band.

"So, Sasori," started Sakura, trying to make small talk to forget about her issue that morning. "How's your sax solo coming along?"

The redhead nodded as he took a bite of his pizza. "Pretty good. Although, your rifle line is cutting it pretty close…" he muttered. Sasori had been given a saxophone solo during one of the visual moments of the show; he was put in the middle of the rifle line, circled by girls who still were not completely used to handling a rifle…

Sasori was the one of the section leaders for the saxophones, his cousin Gaara the other. When they were kids they never got along, and didn't even make an effort to do so until they joined the band four years back. They were on much better terms now.

Sakura grinned sheepishly. "You can't blame me for that," she told him. "I've got my own solo on the other side of the field."

Deidara was in the pit crew—the group of the band that didn't have to move at all. It included the xylophones, bells, and whatever other instruments that were impossible to move around with. Deidara was the bass guitarist, and one of the best damn ones they'd ever had. His music had been reviewed as an explosion of musicality, not only in the band program but in the rest of the community as well.

Sai was a trumpet, surprisingly enough. Sakura had always believed that the trumpet was too lively an instrument, especially coming from Sai. Regardless, Sai was one of the best—he was up to receive a jazz award at the end of the year.

Ino suddenly sighed, looking forlornly at her food.

"What's wrong Pig?" the pinkette asked her friend with a smile. She knew that Ino could only be depressed over one thing.

Deidara groaned, rolling his eyes. "She still upset that Kiba has a girlfriend…" he stated, staring at his twin unsympathetically.

Kiba was a well-known playboy that Ino had developed a huge crush on; he was currently a bass clarinet, but his instrument tended to change every year.

"Shut up Dei!" Ino growled, her eyes flashing. "I am not!"

Naruto was being uncharacteristically quiet during their lunch break; usually his voice would be echoing through the cafeteria, but today he was simply picking at his food, not really eating anything. Everyone was curious, but only Sakura knew why, and she wasn't about to breach the issue now.

For the moment, she turned her attention back to Ino. "Pig, you just need to get over him and go for someone else. What about Shikamaru? You kind of like him, don't you?" she asked, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Ino blushed but then scrunched up her face. "You mean drumline Shikamaru?" she asked, though not even needing the clarification. "Um, hell no. Have you even heard him? All he does is complain about being section leader! It's so annoying!"

"Speaking of annoying," muttered Deidara to Sasori, earning a snigger from all but Ino.

Sakura turned to Sai after she started to control her laughter. "And what about the trumpet section, Sai? Mr. Hashi has been pretty hard on you guys this year…"

Sai simply shrugged. "Who knows… It's probably because none of the noobs know what they're doing…" he muttered, swiping a bite of his own slice of pizza. "They're never where they're supposed to be. The tubas are starting to complain about it. Especially that tubby one…"

"Choji?" asked Sakura disbelievingly. "He doesn't complain about anything! You really need to get your section under control then…" She playfully punched his arm, just hard enough to leave a sting. "And you better not let him hear you call him tubby… It took forever to get your head out of his tuba last time he caught you…"

Naruto chuckled off to the side. "Doesn't help that his head's so inflated in the first place," he muttered with a small grin, speaking for the first time since gym.

Sai looked past Sakura, locking gazes with the spiky-haired blonde. "At least I've got a one below to match the one on top," he rebuked, smirking when Naruto started sputtering at the comeback, to which Deidara and Sasori chuckled. "It's better than what you've got… Do you even have one?"

They continued this sort of banter for awhile while on the other side of the cafeteria, Neji sat thinking over the occurrences of the day so far.

He sat with teammates Sasuke Uchiha, Rock Lee, and Kankuro Sabaku, but even amongst his friends he could think of little else but his pink-haired classmate…

'I'm almost certain that she skipped because of Itachi… From what I know she hates him with a passion…' he thought, staring past Lee and Kankuro to the wall. 'But she's not the type to skip class just because she hates someone…so what reason would she have to skip unless…she's…' "Afraid of him…" he finished aloud, earning him some odd looks from his companions.

"Who's afraid of who?" asked Kankuro, his eyebrow quirked. The other two soccer players wore similar expressions on their faces.

This seemed to snap Neji out of his thoughts. "Hm? Oh, nothing…" he muttered, shrugging it off. He noted that Kankuro and Lee were easily swayed, but Sasuke eyed him suspiciously. When his three companions started another conversation, he regressed back to his thoughts. 'What did he do to you Haruno…?'

Soon enough, lunch was over and the two frustrated students met up once again in Tsunade Orohime's anatomy class. Much to Neji's aggravation, Sakura had managed to convince Tsunade to let her move desks, from the middle of the room to the very back. Such an arrangement made it complicated to communicate with her without Tsunade's notice…

Calculus was a bit easier; Asuma Sarutobi was the head of the class, and was adamant about keeping students as they were. However, he had a strict "no note passing" policy, and would quickly silence any irrelevant chatter that went on in his class…

Fortunately, any free time they had could generally be spent as the student's wished, as long as it was within the school regulations.

Neji smirked at the loophole; he would get his answers…

First, though, he had to get her attention… She was finishing her homework when Neji successfully gained her focus by throwing a paper ball at her head. It was just his luck when she only turned and glared at him before returning to her work.

She was hell-bent on ignoring him, but when Shikamaru Nara needed something, she was all ears. Neji had to repress a growl at that…

"Hey, Sakura," the genius turned, calling her name to successfully keep her attention unlike the Hyuga. "Do we have band today?" Even his tone as he asked was bored, as if he didn't really care either way.

Sakura sighed, smiling at the drumline section leader. "Shika, you've been in marching band just as long as I have; how do you not remember our schedule?" she asked with a laugh. "Yes, we have band today. Until five. Like every Monday. And we also have band tomorrow. Until five. Like every Tuesday." She told him the information with a joking sarcasm, to which the Nara only smirked in amusement.

"Tch… How troublesome… And we're working on the second song today… Your friend Ino never shuts up, does she?" he asked, making her giggle.

In the second song of the show, Shikamaru and Ino's set lists had them stay extremely close to each other, much to their displeasure.

"Nope, I'm afraid not," she replied with a wide grin. She quickly looked back at the clock to see that the bell was just about to ring. She gathered up her belongings, throwing her bag over her shoulder in preparation; she didn't want to stick around so Neji could find another chance to harass her about that morning…

When the bell did ring, she was the first out of her seat and the first out the door, the Hyuga following close behind her. He almost caught her when she was putting her books in her locker, but she obviously knew that he was close behind and hurriedly grabbed her practice clothes, slamming her locker door and running into the band room.

Faintly he heard her say, "Sasori, watch the door for me?" and saw a head of pink hair disappear into one of the practice rooms, a tall redhead leaning against the door she went through.

He walked up to this redhead, surprised to find that the sax player was just as tall as he was. "Excuse me," the Hyuga said coldly, reaching for the door knob. His hackles rose when Sasori smacked his hand away.

"I wouldn't…" was all the redhead offered, his expression blank.

"I would," he shot back, muscling past Sasori and entering the room that he had been guarding. As the door closed behind him, he heard the kid mutter, "I warned him…" before he couldn't hear anything; the practice rooms were soundproof…

"Sasori!" he heard Sakura growl, but all he saw were a couple of beat up pianos. "Get out!"

"I'm not Sasori…" he muttered, barely repressing the smirk when he saw her head pop up from behind one of the large instruments. "Why are you hiding from me?" he asked, because that was certainly what it seemed like.

"Neji!" she snarled when she saw him, her face flushed. "Get out! I'm not hiding from you, you idiot!" He heard the shuffle of cloth as she yelled at him. "I'm getting changed!"

Immediately, at her admittance, he turned on his heel but stayed put. Despite the blush that flamed up on his cheeks, he declared "I'm not going anywhere…"

He heard her groan in frustration, but also heard the cloth rustling again in what he could only assume was her resuming her previous activity of getting redressed. He turned around again only when he heard her pushing the piano out of her way.

When she moved to walk past him, he grabbed her arm. He didn't notice her flinch… "Tell me why you're so afraid of Itachi!" he demanded, pulling her away from the door as she reached to turn the knob.

"You don't reserve the right to know anything!" she told him quietly, her anger obvious in her soft words. She ripped her arm from his grip and was again at the door, her hand already twisting the knob. She glared at him when she spoke again. "Don't you have your own practice to go to?"

And she was gone…

**End Chapter**

A/N: Wow, this was a lot longer than I intended, but there were just some parts of the school day that I had to get in.

No, there is not going to be an Akatsuki gang at this school. Deidara and Sasori are really her friends and do NOT have a hidden agenda.

Other than that, there's really nothing to say. Please review!

-Samara


	5. One of Those Nights

A/N: I'm absolutely thrilled at the momentum this story is gaining! Thanks so much you guys! You've inspired me to keep on with this story and get my butt in gear to get the next chapter up. Yay for you!

I'm sorry this was up later than usual. It seems that FanFiction was down for awhile, which would explain why I haven't been getting any alerts from the stories I'm reading. :/ As this is the case, my next update will be **next** Monday, on April 11. The down time has screwed up my schedule, and hopefully the site is back up for good so I can get my chapters posted. Let's just cross our fingers and see.

In other news, the show in this story is entirely based off of one I performed in. I don't own it, but considering I was in it, I don't think there should be any problem.

Please enjoy!

**Chapter 5: One of Those Nights**

The week dragged on longer than Sakura would have liked. She was fortunate enough that Gai returned on Tuesday, preaching about how his youthful energy allowed him to recover quickly from being ill, but the days took their toll on her in different ways.

First of all, Neji wouldn't leave her alone about Itachi, which resulted in two things. One being that her emotions were running her ragged, and the other being that she snapped at him to shut the hell up. The second one pissed him off, and as a consequence he decided that he wouldn't show up to colorguard practice at all.

Second of all, she had practice every night that week. Hana and Kimiko decided to make her life miserable by bringing up her shitty home life, so she was very close to blowing her top on them just like she had done to the Hyuga.

Finally, tonight was their first performance. The first home game of the year, marking a most dreaded performance. The first was always the worst. Everyone was nervous about how the show looked, no one truly believing that they were ready to present the routine.

They had barely managed to piece together the second song that week, and Mr. Hashi insisted that they would perform it anyway. That idea was risky at best. There were still quite a few newbies that hadn't quite nailed their sets, so the formations looked sloppy and the music was a little off.

Not to mention that Anko, Kakashi, and Iruka were pissed off because their costumes hadn't come in yet…

"I can't believe this! How stupid can those people be!" Anko raved, pacing the band room.

Their before-show practice had ended a half hour ago to allow time for preparation. The guard was left to its own devices, but this only seemed to make Anko's temper even more volatile.

"What the hell does Tazuna expect me to do?" She looked to Kakashi, trying to pull an answer from him, but the man only shrugged, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I mean, we have no costumes for Christ's sake! And God forbid everyone brings their show shirts like they're supposed to!"

Sakura was standing in the doorway, waiting for her question to be answered. She had come in ten minutes ago, asking Anko what she wanted them to do for makeup, and the woman had yet to cease her ranting ever since.

Everyone else was finishing dinner, trying to keep their nerves in check. Sakura wished she could have been one of them, but as captain, she had other duties to attend to.

"And the flags! Iruka! You said we'd have the new silks by now!"

Sadly, this seemed to be how every season started. She recalled similar situations in past years, and with a sigh determined that there was little they could do but suck it up and get over it.

She managed to get Kakashi's attention, a feat in itself considering it was torn between Anko and his iPhone. "I'm going to go ask around, see if any sections have show shirts to spare. I'm going to assume we're ditching the makeup, and we're putting our hair up in ponytails."

The silver-haired man nodded, sending a sideways glance in Anko's direction. "I'll let her know as soon as she finishes her tirade… We have a half hour before we have to be at the field, so act fast."

Nodding, she dashed out of the room, making a break for the small gym where the flutes and clarinets were warming up. She only needed four shirts, due to the fact that most of the girls had the foresight to bring them to practice.

A quick explanation to the section leaders got her what she needed, and moments later she was running back to meet her team.

Before she could get to the cafeteria, she ran into Temari in the hall.

"Sakura! What did they say?" the blonde asked her, looking just about as flustered as the rosette felt.

She held up the shirts, rolling her eyes in irritation. "Show shirts, black pants, no makeup, ponytails," she listed, handing off the shirts to the teal-eyed girl so that she could pull her hair back. "Anko's going insane, and we have to be on the field in a half hour."

Eyes widening, Temari gave the captain a quick nod and took off to distribute the shirts and information.

Alone once again, Sakura allowed herself the opportunity to think on the matter of the irritating Hyuga. She seriously doubted that he would show up, even if it was part of their agreement. Honestly, she was pretty sure he was about to drop the bet altogether. It had to be a huge waste of his time.

"Yo! Sakura!"

She whipped about at the sound of her name, finding the source to be Shikamaru. He was walking up to her, already dressed in his uniform, with Choji following behind with a grin on his face.

"Oh, hey Shikamaru, Choji," she greeted him with a stressed out sigh. "What's up?"

The raven-haired teen shrugged, one hand in his pocket while the other twirled a lone drumstick. "Nothing, really," he admitted, a bored smirk fixed on his face. "Saw you stressing out. Thought I'd tell you that you'll be fine out there."

Choji gave her a thumbs up, grinning reassuringly. "Yeah!" he agreed. "You're gonna kick ass out there like you always do. The show will be awesome. You're doing your solo, right?"

She groaned, her shoulders slumping. "Yeah..."

Shikamaru chuckled at her lack of enthusiasm. "Don't sound so happy about it," he teased, patting her back in a gesture of encouragement. "You'll do great." He glanced at the clock, humming affirmatively to himself. "We've gotta go prep our sections. See you on the field, and tell Ino to get to her spot so I don't trip over her again, alright?"

She giggled, feeling slightly better. "Alright," she replied, smiling. "Good luck, guys."

"See ya, Sakura!" Choji waved as he continued down the hall, giving her another thumbs up for good measure. She couldn't help but smile a little wider as she turned in the other direction, steeling herself for the imminent chaos that was to come.

…

He managed to get into the stands before the game started, finding a seat with a perfect view of the fifty yard line.

In the three years he'd been in Konoha High, he'd never once attended a football game, and he was beginning to see why. It was loud, even before the team charged onto the field. It was crowded. Way too crowded for his tastes. And, quite honestly, he was bored out of his mind… There was nothing appealing to him in the least in watching huge guys tackle each other over a leather ball.

There was no substance to the game, not at all like soccer.

He was starting to question why he had even come in the first place. That damn Haruno was too stubborn for her own good.

It bothered him knowing that something was wrong with her. She'd always been a pain in the ass, but because of her constant disposition, he hadn't thought it possible that she could be suffering. The fact that some of that suffering seemed to be coming from weird connection to his coach only made him irritated.

'She has to be insane…' he thought to himself. 'There's no way Coach has anything to do with her.' He shook that notion off, trying to keep his attention on the game. 'Why do people watch this again?' he wondered with a roll of his eyes.

He looked around, wondering where the band was. He had showed up. The least they could do was do the same.

He caught sight of plumes at the field's entrance and sighed in relief. He sincerely hoped that their show would be more interesting than the game. With a groan, he looked at the scoreboard, slouching when he saw that it wasn't even the end of the first quarter. He'd have to sit through another before the band performed at halftime…

They took their seats in the stand, their designated area directly behind the home field goal post. A platform was set up in thirty seconds flat, the drum major promptly rising to the top to direct the band. They were fortunate that no one had scored yet, for it meant that their fight song hadn't been missed.

Anko, Kakashi, and Iruka directed the girls to move behind the stands for warm ups, so Neji only caught a quick glimpse of them before they disappeared behind the bleachers.

Unable to take much more of the pointlessness that was the game in front of him, the Hyuga decided to go get something to eat.

…

"Alright, colorguard," Anko projected, her hands on her hips. They had just done a quick run through of problem areas and it at least _seemed_ like they would be fine. "Go ahead and work on whatever else you need to. Sakura…" She fixed the rosette with a pointed look, indicating that she wished to speak with her off to the side.

Blinking in confusion, the nervous captain set her sabre down, nestling it between her flags. She followed Anko away from the group, wondering what the orchid-haired woman could possibly want to talk about.

Once they were out of hearing range, the older woman turned to face the girl.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, disappointment and concern saturating her voice.

Sakura cocked her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Anko shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "You know very well what I mean, Sakura… I can't believe I had to find out from your _Naruto_ friend of all people."

Sakura's eyes narrowed at the mention of the blonde's name. "Just what exactly did he tell you?"

"That bastard was at your school and you didn't tell me?" the woman snarled in a whisper, ignoring the previous question altogether.

Sakura's eyes widened but became slits almost immediately afterwards. "What did you expect me to do, Anko?" she asked, her voice strained. "I'm a minor! Mom settled, so the case closed! It's not like telling you would have made a difference!"

Anko went silent. Inwardly, she cursed herself for being so impulsive, bringing this up right before a show. But she couldn't help it! That stupid blonde had tracked her down right after Sakura left to find more show shirts and told her everything about Itachi subbing their gym class that Monday. They were already running behind, but she couldn't let it go, so she had decided to pull Sakura off to the side.

"You're supposed to tell me when stuff like this happens…" Anko eventually stated. "I know I can't do much for you right now, but…" She trailed off, not quite sure of how to say what she wanted. Usually, it wasn't a problem, but this was a delicate situation… She sighed heavily. "I'm going to assume I'm driving you home tonight… I'll make sure to stick around after the show. Do you want me to keep Kakashi here too?"

Sakura shook her head. "No…I'm sure he has things to do…"

"Alright…" She looked up to find that Kakashi was flagging her down. "Looks like we're getting ready to wrap it up… I'm…I'm sorry, Sakura…"

The rosette started walking back to the block, her eyes duller than they had been before this little interaction. "It's fine…" she replied, just loud enough for Anko to hear her. "I won't let it mess up my performance."

…

He made it back to his seat just in time to see the band lining up. Quite honestly, he was surprised that no one had bothered to take it while he was gone, but he wasn't about to complain about it.

Even from a distance, he could make out a head of pink hair near the home goal post. He smirked when he noticed that she was the first in her section's line.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round of applause for the Konoha high school marching band!"_

Nearly everyone in the stands clapped and shouted encouragement to some random band member. Half-heartedly, Neji clapped his hands together, trying to drown out the crowd. Faintly, over the uproar, he could hear the beat of a drum as the band stepped out onto the field.

The guard proceeded to set their equipment while the rest of the band formed their ranks. It was odd, looking at the band in uniform while the guard was dressed in show shirts. It seemed…weird.

When the movement on the field stopped, the announcer continued.

"_Performing their show entitled, 'Soaring'. Please welcome drum majors Kimimaro Kaguya and Haku Yuki."_

The drum majors, both seniors, commenced with their salutes before turning to face the band. With practiced movements, they started conducting. Their motions were completely synchronized, having memorized the tempo of each song in their entirety after weeks, maybe months of training.

The xylophones in the pit crew picked up after a few counts, the guard filtering in from behind the sidelines. The music was leisurely, almost sleep-inducing, as was the intent. Once every guard girl had made it to their spot, the drumline struck up, giving the music a complete one-eighty.

Neji scanned the field, trying to pick out Sakura, finding her on the fifty yard line up in the front dancing with a handful other girls. One of them, he found on closer inspection, was Hinata, the others Ino and Temari. He supposed that TenTen was somewhere in the flag line.

His gaze was pulled back to the Haruno when she cart wheeled to the middle of the other three who promptly lifted her up off the ground as soon as she was back on her feet. She had a pleasant smile on her face, one that was almost believable, but something was off about it.

The first song ended almost as abruptly as it started. He had been so focused on the rosette that he had hardly noticed until people started applauding again. A few counts later, and the second song was starting. All of the girls came to the front of the field, ducking down to pick up their next piece of equipment.

A split second was all she had to grab her sabre before her solo started. One of the senior mellophones played alongside her as she spun the weapon, her movements precise as she tossed and caught it in her gloved hands.

The mellophone was the only one playing at the moment, but few were paying attention to him.

Despite his earlier irritation with her, Neji found that he just could not look away from the pink-haired spitfire. She seemed completely in her element, in spite of her forced smile, and everything she did she made look incredibly easy, though he had come to learn it was anything but.

Soon enough, her solo was over, as was the mellophone's. The rest of the band picked up again, and the rest of the sabre line returned to the field, accompanied by the swing flag line (1).

"Hey, Neji!"

The brunette ripped his eyes away from the performance when he heard his name being called, finding Naruto pushing his way through the crowd to get to him.

He nodded in acknowledgment, but didn't bother to hide his irritation. "Uzumaki."

Naruto ignored the icy tone. "I can't believe I'm late. Did Sakura do her solo yet?" he asked, trying to find his best friend in the throng of black uniforms. He found her easily enough when the music jazzed up.

The Hyuga nodded. "Yeah, I guess she did."

"Aw, man!" Naruto slumped in his seat, clearly disappointed. "Well, did she look good? She didn't drop, did she?"

He shrugged, turning his attention back to the show. "No, not that I could tell." He made a point of not answering the first question, but the blonde didn't seem to notice.

After a moment, the whiskered teen tutted in disapproval. "I hope Sakura doesn't see a recording of this… She'll be furious," he commented with a chuckle. "It's a mess."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." It may have sounded sarcastic, but Neji was completely serious. He hadn't been paying any attention to the show as a whole, his eyes locked on his pink-haired class mate the entire time.

Applause sounded once again as a moment was finished. The drum majors had stopped conducting, meaning the show was over. The drumline struck a count to lead the band off the field, the colorguard scrambling to pick up their discarded equipment.

"_Let's hear it for our Konoha high school marching band!"_

Naruto clapped him on the shoulder, grinning widely. "Wanna go congratulate them?" He rose to get up, looking at the Hyuga expectantly.

Neji rolled his eyes but got to his feet anyway. "I've got nothing better to do…"

…

"Sakura, Ino, come on! Get in close!"

"_Mom!_" Ino whined, complying anyway as her mother snapped a few pictures. "You're embarrassing me!"

Mrs. Yamanaka only chuckled good-naturedly, smiling warmly at her daughter and the rosette. "Alright, alright. Now where's your brother?"

Ino rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "Where do you think? At the snack table, pigging out on cookies…"

The blonde woman giggled again. "That boy. Well, I'm off. Great show tonight, girls!"

Sakura forced a smile on her face. "Thanks, Mrs. Yamanaka," she replied politely.

When the woman was out of sight, Ino turned Sakura to face her, looking at her with concern in her eyes. "You alright, Billboard Brow? You don't look so good. Is something wrong?"

"What? Of course not, Pig!" she quipped in return, widening her grin. "Everything's fine."

Ino wasn't convinced but sighed, knowing that she wouldn't get anything out of the captain. "Alright…I'm going to go get a cookie before Dei eats them all. Want me to bring you one?" She shrugged when Sakura shook her head in the negative. "Okay…I'll be back in a minute."

In no more than five steps, Ino was engulfed in a sea of black as she ventured to the crowded snack table. Sakura couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her, but her mood soured when she caught sight of another blonde making his way towards her with a brunette in tow.

"Hey, Sakura!"

She didn't respond, only narrowed her eyes at him as he approached.

Naruto flinched, chuckling sheepishly, but didn't stop walking until he was directly in front of her. "Good show…" he muttered, smiling nervously. He elbowed Neji in the side, urging him to say something.

"Ow!" He resisted the urge to elbow him back, instead meeting the Haruno's curiously furious gaze. "Nice work…Haruno…" he allowed awkwardly, trying to establish a truce.

"Thanks…" she bit out, her fists clenched tightly as she looked at her friend. She was close to tears, stunned at the breach of trust, outraged at the timing. He seriously couldn't have picked a worse time to tell Anko… "But I know you're lying…" She knew her performance had suffered. Her heart hadn't been in the routine. She was seriously surprised that she didn't drop her sabre because she had been thrown off by the reminder of her troubles.

"No, really! You looked awesome!" Naruto assured her. "Even without costumes and stuff. You did great." He locked gazes with her, trying to tell her through his eyes how sorry he was about what he had to do. It had been for her own good because Anko had to be kept in the loop. The instructor had insisted upon it.

Sakura seemed to get the message because she released a heavy sigh, running a gloved hand through her pulled back hair.

Slightly placated, she looked at Neji. "I'm…surprised you even showed up…" she admitted.

He shrugged. "Figured it was better than having you on my ass about it."

She fixed him with a blank look, rolling her eyes at him but nodding all the same.

"Sakura!"

The three of them looked to find Hanabi running towards them, a big smile on her face. Her one hand held three cookies, the other an empty paper cup of what had been lemonade.

She smiled genuinely at the youngest Hyuga, the girl's excitement almost contagious. "Hey, Hanabi. What's up?"

"I didn't drop my flag. Not once!" she reported proudly, snatching a bite off of one of her cookies. She continued once she had swallowed, her expression turning more serious. "But I want to keep working on my tosses… I think it was just a fluke. Can you help me tomorrow?"

Sakura quirked a brow, placing her hands on her hips, Naruto and Neji temporarily forgotten. "Why can't Hinata help you?" she asked curiously. Hanabi didn't normally ask for her assistance, her sister being the obvious choice when it came to practice.

Hanabi sighed. "Dad's taking her in to see how the firm works tomorrow…" she replied. "She'll be gone all day."

"Huh…Well, I guess. Sure. I'm not doing anything tomorrow."

"Great! Hey Neji, can you drive me to Sakura's house tomorrow?" she asked her cousin cheekily, catching him off guard.

"Huh? Why me?" He glared at his youngest cousin, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Uh, 'cause Dad's gone tomorrow. Duh!" she stated matter-of-factly, rolling her ivory eyes. "And Sakura doesn't have a ride to our house, so I need to go to her."

He sighed. "Fine…" he relented. He looked to his side only to find that Naruto disappeared. "Where'd he go…?"

The question was answered moments later when the blonde returned with a victorious grin and two hands filled with cookies.

…

Anko had dropped Sakura off at her home just a couple of minutes ago. Needing to get home herself, she didn't wait to see the rosette enter the house, pulling out of the driveway with a quick wave.

It took a minute for Sakura to find her house key, but once she had a hold of it she managed to get into the house without a problem, locking the door behind her.

The lights were off, as they usually were, save for a television flickering in the other room. Exhausted, yet thirsty, Sakura made her way to the kitchen to find herself something to drink before she headed to bed.

Before she could get through the doorway she heard the clinking of empty glass beer bottles. She steeled herself, biting her lip as she prepared for the confrontation. She had hoped that her mother would be asleep when she came home, but by the sound of shuffling footsteps this was not the case.

"There you are!" the woman growled as she came into view, clutching her robe tightly to herself. She snatched Sakura's wrist, her grip tight enough to bruise. She stank of alcohol. "What were you doing? Whoring yourself out to your little brat friends?"

"We had a performance—" she tried to explain, trying to reclaim her wrist.

The sting of a hand meeting her cheek registered almost instantly. "Don't you dare talk back to me!" the drunk woman snarled. She shoved her daughter away, storming out of the room. "Spoiled little tramp!" she hissed as she returned to her couch.

Sakura released a shuddering breath as she let go of the pain. Her cheek was smarting from the blow, and her wrist was pulsing as blood rushed back into her veins. Suddenly, she wasn't so thirsty anymore. Turning on her heel, she went upstairs into her room, careful to avoid her mother, locking the door behind her.

It was one of those nights…

**End Chapter**

A/N: Alright, so chapter five is up. :D Yay! Well, not exactly yay… This chapter was pretty depressing. We're starting to get more insight into Sakura's issues, not only with Itachi but with her mother as well.

And, I've set up the next chapter perfectly, so there we go.

1)Swing flag line: A flag line that uses flags with longer silks to add to visual effect. They're normally only handled by rookies.

Please review! I love any feedback you guys have for me.

-Samara


	6. Pain

A/N: Sigh. Geez, the fluctuations with reviews is concerning me. =( But I love you all, so you get a chapter. Just a forewarning, the next one might be late; I've got research papers due and AP exams to prepare for. FML...

**Chapter 6: Pain**

She had everything prepared. Water bottles on the front step, already filled, more than one for the both of them just in case. Practice flags neatly rolled up on the front lawn. The boom box plugged in at an outdoor outlet. Her sabre propped up against the wall. Makeup on her bruises.

Everything was taken care of.

Neji would be bringing Hanabi by around noon, which was perfect because her mother would be passed out on the couch and therefore wouldn't bother them.

It was a few minutes before noon. Having nothing better to do unless she wanted to go back inside, she slipped on her gloves and picked up her sabre, spinning it experimentally. She flinched when it slipped out of her hand and clattered against the pavement of the walkway, clenching her hurt wrist.

Of course her mother had latched on to her right arm, the one predominantly used for spinning anything. It was painful to move in the way it needed to, and she grit her teeth as she picked it up and tried again.

Even the action of clenching her teeth was painful… The blow to her cheek was still tender as well. But, she determined, it was best she got this weakness out of the way now, before the two Hyuga showed up. Pain was weakness leaving the body, after all…

After a few attempts, she got to the point where she was able to ignore the ache. She would have to keep busy if she wanted it to stay that way.

Sakura braced herself when she saw Neji pull into her driveway, forcing a smile on her face. The hurt in her wrist she could ignore, but the one in her cheek would take some work.

When both of them got out of the car, she could honestly say she was surprised. "You're staying too?" she asked her classmate, gripping her sabre leisurely.

He nodded, shrugging as Hanabi joined them. "I don't have anything else to do today, and this saves me making more than one trip out here," he replied.

She quirked an eyebrow, her head cocking to the side. "Are you sure? We'll probably be out here for awhile."

He answered by striding to the front step, sitting upon it and gesturing to them expectantly. "Go on. Do your thing," he said, waving his hands carelessly. "When you're done, you can help me with the Anatomy assignment." He smirked when she rolled her eyes at him.

"Whatever…" She turned to Hanabi, smiling at grin the younger girl was giving her. "You ready to get started?"

The youngest Hyuga's head bobbed up and down excitedly. "Yeah! What should we work on first?"

…

It was close to two o'clock when they finished, the two finally satisfied with the effort they put in. The two hours had mostly consisted of Sakura showing Hanabi the work, them doing it together, and then Sakura watching as Hanabi did it alone. She wasn't sure why, but Sakura found herself often asking Neji's opinion when she felt that her own wasn't enough. To her surprise, he actually answered seriously.

Hanabi was thrilled. She felt as if she had improved a great deal in those two hours and was thanking Sakura profusely as she downed her water, draining the bottle dry. She groaned in disappointment, still thirsty, when she realized that she had drank both of the waters that the rosette had laid out for her.

Chuckling at the younger girl's expression, Sakura threw the girl her spare, having just barely finished her first water.

Hanabi chuckled sheepishly, beaming at the captain. "Hehe, thanks Sakura."

The Haruno grinned, slipping off her gloves. "No problem. You worked hard. I'm proud of you."

The young Hyuga smiled at the praise, ecstatic that her captain was taking notice of her. "Hear that, Neji? _Someone's_ proud of me!"

The soccer player only smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hn." He was quite obviously amused.

Hanabi was about to reply when her eyes caught on Sakura's wrist. "Huh? Sakura, did you hurt yourself?" she asked, pointing out the barely noticeable purple tint on the pink-haired captain's pale wrist.

She tensed, her eyes flickering down to the injury. Sure enough, one could make out the dark marks of bruising. She must have rubbed some of the makeup off when she removed her gloves…

"Oh, uh…I guess I did." She tried her best to laugh it off, hoping the two would buy it. Hanabi was looking at her curiously, waiting for an explanation. Neji seemed to be eager to hear one as well… "It must have happened when I was practicing earlier. I can be clumsy sometimes."

Hanabi, having not been in the guard with Sakura all that long, nodded, seeming to accept the story at face value. Neji, on the other hand, having been watching the Haruno closely ever since the dare had started, was skeptical. Never had he seen her as anything other than carefully controlled in her movements. Her temperament was a different story, often volatile and unpredictable, but she had never once come off as clumsy…

Still, he said nothing. Who was he to claim otherwise? He simply kept his suspicion to himself.

He scoffed to himself, deciding it best to change the subject. "So, are you going to help me with Anatomy, or what?"

With a sigh she nodded, throwing her gloves next to her things. "Yeah, sure. I'd never pass up the opportunity to prove I'm smarter than you," she teased, winking playfully to tell him that she was joking. "Hope you don't mind working outside though. I don't like going indoors on days like this."

He nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. A nice, sunny day like this was not to be wasted.

"Let me go get my book real quick."

She dashed into her house, leaving the two Hyuga in her front yard. Neji got to his feet, making his way to the car where he had stashed his own book.

"Hey! Get me my iPod while you're over there!" Hanabi called to him, smiling cheekily when she saw him shake his head in exasperation. She smiled to herself, knowing he would do as she asked anyway, plopping down on the ground with her now half-empty water bottle in hand.

He returned moments later, tossing the tiny device her way before resuming his position on the step just as Sakura walked out with her book.

"Alright, what did you need help with?"

She sat down next to him as he flipped open the book, turning right to their current subject. The structure of the throat.

"The cartilage in the larynx is giving me trouble…" he grudgingly admitted. "I can't keep track of sizes and functions."

She opened to the same page in her book, looking the diagrams over carefully until she understood them. Nodding to herself, she dove into her explanation. "Alright. In the larynx, there are three unpaired cartilages. The thyroid, the epiglottis, and the cricoid." She listed them on her fingers, waiting for him to nod in understanding. "I'm pretty sure that the cricoid is the smallest…I can't really tell from the diagram. But it forms the inferior wall of the larynx and connects to the trachea."

He motioned for her to continue, studying his own diagram meticulously in order to piece together the information.

"Okay. Next, I believe, is the epiglottis. It's large and spoon-shaped, and closes off the larynx when you swallow food or water. So, like, think of its shape when you want to know the function," she advised, smiling when he seemed to grasp the concept. "And finally is the thyroid. It's the largest, but tends to be bigger in males on the account of higher levels of testosterone after puberty. This one you can actually see; it's your Adam's Apple."

She pointed it out to him, flushing slightly. She was fortunate that it was barely noticeable.

"Is that it?" she asked, smiling helpfully. "I know there was more to the section, but did you need help with anything else?"

He shook his head, closing his book. "No. Everything's been cleared up." His lips upturned slightly in a grateful smile. "Thanks, Haruno."

"Hehe, no problem."

Without thinking she wiped her cheek, intending to wipe away the sweat. She only realized what she had done after it had been noticed.

Neji quirked a disbelieving brow at her, stunned when he saw a vivid purple mark on her cheek. "Why don't I think that was from your practicing?" he asked slowly, blinking in surprise when she hurriedly covered it up with her hand. Seeing the bruises on her wrist up close, he quickly pieced two and two together. "Haruno…"

"Look, it's nothing, okay?" she told him quietly, looking off to the side. "They don't even hurt that much anymore…"

"Sakura! I'm gonna use your bathroom, alright?"

The door to the house closed before Sakura even registered what was happening. In a panic, she jumped to her feet and darted for the door. "Hanabi! No!" Her eyes wide, she caught sight of the back of Hanabi's figure as she ventured deeper into the house, trying to locate a restroom.

Neji had followed her inside, concerned at her reaction. "Haruno! What's going on?"

"Sakura? Who is that?"

She tensed when her mother appeared on the staircase, thanking whoever would listen that Hanabi hadn't run into her. Of course, this wasn't much better…

The older Haruno looked disapprovingly from her daughter to the boy she was with, her eyes narrowing as they rested on the Hyuga. Even with her tussled pink hair and stained bathrobe, she managed to pull off a menacing glare that had her daughter gulping nervously.

"H-He's just a friend from school, Mom…" she sputtered helplessly, trying to appeal to reason. Not that it would do her much good. "I was helping him with Anatomy homework. We're in the same class."

The woman's eyes widened marginally at that, staring distrustfully at the newcomer. "_Anatomy_?" she hissed suspiciously, her eerie, pale green eyes swiveling to connect with her daughter's. "Is that what they're calling it these days, you little tramp?"

Neji noted that Sakura immediately averted her eyes to the floor in shame, embarrassment staining her cheeks red. "Mom…Please…Not now…" she pleaded quietly.

The Hyuga, despite the awkwardness of the situation, felt extremely sorry for his classmate. He wanted to defend her, wanted to tell her mother that she was anything _but_ a tramp. It just didn't feel right, her honor being questioned like that by her own mother…

"Ma'am, I have my book right here," he interrupted, showing her the text. He had neglected to drop it when he followed Sakura inside. "We have a test next week, and I wasn't quite sure about some of the material."

Mrs. Haruno nearly ripped the book out of his hands, examining the unit more closely. Just barely satisfied, she thrust the heavy volume back at him.

"Stay away from her, boy," she growled, her eyes flashing. "And get out of my house!"

"Uh…Sakura?"

All three heads turned to look at the suddenly timid Hyuga girl who didn't exactly know what she should do in this situation. She padded slowly to her cousin, not against using him as a shield.

She wasn't sure how she did it, keeping the tears at bay, but she managed to pull off a reassuring smile for the younger girl. "Yeah, Hanabi?"

"Um…Hinata wanted to know if you wanted to sleep over tonight… I just got a call from her…" she stated slowly, looking back and forth between her captain and the young woman's mother. "She said that she and Dad are on their way home…"

The oldest Hyuga watched the girl take a shuddering breath as she seemed to consider her options, watched her wince as she made eye contact with her livid mother. He barely managed to repress a sigh of relief when she nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Let me get my things together…"

She sprinted up the stairs, past her enraged mother who looked about ready to snap.

Neji kept his eye on the woman, making sure that she didn't move an inch out of line. Hanabi was starting to come out from behind him, seeming to have a similar idea.

It was minutes later that Sakura returned with a bag packed with a change of clothes and other things. She swept out the door without looking at her mother, Hanabi and Neji following behind. She picked up her Anatomy book, grabbed her sabre, and took the practice flags, not trusting her mother with the equipment in the least, especially in her current state.

Hanabi helped her load it into the car while Neji started the vehicle, even giving up her shotgun seat to let the rosette sit up front.

They were pulling out of the driveway when Sakura realized something, forcing her to turn and face the youngest Hyuga with surprise. "Your phone is right here, plugged into the charger…"

Hanabi shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

Neji raised his eyebrows, looking at his cousin through the rear view mirror. "Hinata didn't call you..."

The youngest Hyuga smirked, shrugging once more. "Huh…Guess not. Oh well." She folded her hands behind her head, reclining in the back seat perfectly smug with herself. "We couldn't just let her stay there with that woman. And it's not like Dad'll mind anyway once we explain it to him."

It was quiet in the car for a while after that. Sakura was curled up against the door, her eyes downcast in shame. Hanabi and Neji didn't really know what they could say to her at the moment, so opted to not say anything at all.

When they arrived at the Hyuga manor, Hanabi was the first out of the car, grabbing Sakura's things before the rosette could even reach them. "I'll go put these upstairs," she said with a smile. "Then I'll call Dad and let him know you're here."

Any protest Sakura might have had never had the chance to leave her lips. Hanabi was a quick one, in the house before anyone could respond, leaving Neji and Sakura alone in the car together.

He switched off the ignition, sighing to himself as he looked Sakura's way. She made no move to get out of the vehicle, not even removing her seat belt.

"Wanna talk about it?" he offered quietly, just watching her.

She shook her head, but seemed conflicted in doing so. "Does she have to tell your uncle…?" she asked in a whisper. "I mean…It's not that bad…"

"Not that bad? Haruno, your own mother basically just called you a whore," he deadpanned, frustrated at her denial. "And if it wasn't that bad, I don't think you'd be here right now."

She bit her lip, worrying it with her teeth at his observation. "She's…not like that all the time…" she admitted slowly. "It only happens when she's drunk…"

"And how often is that?"

She chuckled without humor. "These days? Heh, I guess more often than she's sober… But usually she's asleep on the couch… I never have to deal with her…"

"And what's your dad doing while this happens?"

She hesitantly locked eyes with him, looking away almost immediately afterwards. His gaze was intense. "Who knows?" she replied softly. "I haven't seen him in almost four years…He couldn't handle it…"

"Your mother?"

There was that humorless chuckle again. "Sure…I suppose that was part of it…"

It was quiet again, Neji getting the sense that it was dangerous to tread any further. She had given up the information willingly enough. It would be unwise to push his luck.

Sensing that the conversation was over, Sakura finally removed her safety restraint, opening the car door. Before she could step out fully, Neji managed to snag her uninjured wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"Sakura…For what it's worth…She couldn't be farther from the truth…" he murmured, his ivory orbs conveying his sincerity. "I hope you know that."

She nodded, taking a shuddering breath. "Yeah," she replied in a breathy whisper. "Sometimes I do…But hearing it enough times has made me question what I believe…"

He shook his head. "Well don't. You're a pain in the ass, but you're not a slut." He smirked, winking teasingly as he released her wrist and exited the car, escorting her inside.

She rolled her eyes but found the strength to smile slightly at him. "Thanks…I think…"

He chuckled. "Don't mention it."

She stopped him in the door way, blushing madly. "Seriously…Thank you for not leaving me there…For defending me when you didn't have to…" She stood on the balls of her feet, growing a few inches by doing so. "Not many people would have done that…You're not as big of a prick as I thought you were."

Before he could comprehend what she was doing, he felt her soft lips against his cheek. And then they were gone. While he was dazed, she had walked into the house without him, eager to abandon the scene to hide her flushing cheeks.

She was so eager to retreat that she didn't notice the light pink coating his cheeks as he reached his hand up to touch the spot her lips had vacated. All thoughts of the day were momentarily forgotten as he vowed to himself that he would make sure their next kiss had both of their participation.

He shook his head, wondering where that notion had come from, doing his best to convince himself that the kiss was simply the Haruno expressing her gratitude.

It would take them both a few hours at least to realize that he had actually called her by her first name, and it had sounded so natural coming from his lips that neither of them had thought anything of it.

Hiashi and Hinata had returned a couple hours later, having expected Sakura's presence on the account of Hanabi calling them at the office. They said nothing of what the youngest Hyuga had revealed, but Sakura knew they had learned of her troubles by the looks of sympathy they shot her way.

Hiashi had called Sakura into his private office soon after returning.

"You are welcome to stay as long as you wish," the Hyuga patriarch had told her. "Or as long as you are able without your mother seeking legal action."

"Thank you, sir, but I would not wish to intrude," she humbly replied, truly appreciative of the offer. "I'm sure that by the time I get home, she will have forgotten all about it."

He nodded. "Nonetheless, you are welcome here. With your current circumstances, I am going to try to set into motion an appeal to transfer guardianship to someone…more capable."

She nodded in acceptance, but the news was bittersweet. Despite everything, all the pain, all the suffering, all the emotional turmoil, that woman was her mother. Losing her, her only family now that her father was gone…It would be yet another painful blow to endure.

**End Chapter**

A/N: Hm…the ending wasn't exactly how I wanted it, but it works. If I think of something better, I may go back and change it. I was really just trying to get over three thousand words, which I did, so ha!

Well, my work is never done! Off to write the next chapter I go! Please review to make this worth my while! Especially if you have questions! I've left you more clues into some of Sakura's issues, even though certain _names_ weren't named. ;)

Please, let's make the amount of reviews consistant! I need the motivation more than you know!

-Samara


	7. Before We Build a Case

A/N: Sorry that this update was a little late! My parents decided it would be nice to take a last minute road trip to Tennessee before I could finish the chapter. It certainly didn't help that the last chapter didn't set this one up the way I wanted… But yeah, I got home a little after one in the morning, and set to work on wrapping up this chapter.

In completely unrelated news, I've finalized my decision on where I'm attending college in the fall: Ohio University. I'm gonna be a bobcat. Rawr! ^/^

Anyway, please enjoy. ^.^

**Chapter 7: Before We Build a Case**

Sakura spent that night pacing around Hinata's room, trying to control her nerves. The news that Mr. Hyuga was going to be handling her custody case had her on edge, and she dreaded the chaos that it would bring about.

There was no way that her mother would let this go without a fight, and she just _knew_ that she would find herself at the butt of more abuse. She would rather just hold out until she turned eighteen. It was only two more years away…

She didn't even know who Hiashi had in mind in terms of gaining custody. Her mother did have some family, but they wanted nothing to do with them, and that included her. Her father's family…He had been an only child and his parents had passed away years ago.

"Sakura…Are you sure you're okay?" Hinata asked from her bed, her concern obvious.

"Huh? Oh…Yeah, I'm fine." Her attempt at assurance was not convincing in the least. She couldn't help wringing her hands, wishing for something that would take her mind off of her problems.

"I'm going to go get some snacks. I'll be back in a sec."

She only nodded in acknowledgement as Hinata left the room, continuing to pace back and forth by the door.

She was nervous, that went without saying. She couldn't stay long with Hinata. She'd have to return home by the next day, or else her mother would likely call the police… While she was confident in Mr. Hyuga's abilities as a lawyer, she'd rather save him the trouble and just go before her mother made problems.

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts, in walking her savior with his hands in his pockets. He'd yet to change out of his day clothes, and was leaning leisurely in the doorframe. His presence prompted her to stop her idiotic pacing.

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly, facing him in surprise.

He shrugged, pushing off from against the frame and strolling in. "Had a feeling you'd be running yourself ragged," he told her. "Thought I'd come play the part of distraction."

She hummed, stilling her fidgeting hands by placing them on her hips. "And how are you going to do that?" she asked softly, cocking her head to the side.

Hands still in his pockets, he motioned for her to follow him out the door. "Come on."

…

She followed him out to the backyard where a lamp gave them light in the darkness. She sighted the familiar practice netting on the other side of the yard, a soccer ball carelessly left in the grass next to it. She looked to the Hyuga as he walked out to the net, wondering what he must be planning but not saying a word.

She quirked a brow when he rolled the ball with his foot, kicking it gently her way. With a sense of déjà vu, she trapped it with her foot when it got close enough, kicking it back to him gingerly.

She stepped off the stone tile of the patio and into the cool grass of the back lawn, wiggling her toes in the blades while taking a deep breath of the chilled night air. She caught the ball once again when he passed it to her, sending it back with a little more force than before.

Eventually the simple kicking back and forth morphed into an all out power struggle, a surprised Neji finding himself at a loss when she returned his kicks with more strength than he expected her to have. They soon found themselves having a one-on-one scrimmage, the Hyuga quickly learning that his classmate was quite familiar with the game. She moved with that same practiced ease she exhibited whenever she performed at her colorguard practice, anticipating his movements and countering them to a point that had him wondering if she'd ever played soccer on a team before. When she moved to launch the ball into the practice net for a goal, he dove to catch it, wincing at the sting from the impact on his bare skin.

"Ngh!" He dropped the ball back into the grass, shaking his hands out. "Damn, Haruno. Where'd you learn to kick like that?" He kicked it back out, softly this time, an action she mimicked.

"Oh, uh…" She seemed to debate what she should say, easing up on her kicks. She hadn't really noticed how the passing had escalated… "I used to play a little…" He didn't notice the way her brows knitted together, the recollection dampening her mood further.

"Really? For the school?"

"Yeah…not for very long though…"

"Huh…"

Silence reigned over them for awhile. The only sound being made was the rolling of the ball as it glided over the grass.

Vaguely they registered the sound of the screen door sliding open. "Neji? Sakura? What are you doing out here so late?" Hiashi removed his reading glasses, squinting into the yard as he cleaned them with the fabric of his shirt. "Come inside. I need to speak with you a bit more, Sakura."

Shrugging when the rosette sent him a questioning look, Neji sent the ball back to its spot by the goal with a gentle kick, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he followed her and his uncle back into the house. When they passed by Hiashi's office, he nodded his acknowledgment to them and headed for his room without another word.

Meanwhile, Hiashi closed the door once Sakura was seated in the chair in front of his desk.

"I got a hold of the man that handled your case four years ago," he told her, seating himself in his leather office chair. He slipped his glasses back on, shuffling through a thick stack of papers. "I thought it might help to get his notes on the proceedings." He sighed, massaging his temples. "I had no idea what actually went on…"

Tight-lipped, Sakura nodded. "Few people do…" she quietly replied. "How much did you find out?"

He gave her a pointed look. "Come now. He faxed me _all_ of his notes Sakura. He was also very forthcoming about his distaste for your mother." He shook his head in disapproval. "I can't believe she made you recant your statement… Do you know why she did?"

She nodded again. "Yeah… Itachi's defense offered a deal. They would pay her a substantial amount of money in return for my silence…" she told him softly. "I was twelve…I barely understood what was happening…"

The Hyuga hummed thoughtfully. "It's terrible, what she made you do Sakura. Had you stuck by your statement, it's likely that Mr. Uchiha would have been put away for a long time. But it seems that your mother was under the impression that it wasn't worth the time to fight it out. The money was too tempting." More papers were flipped and looked over. "And is it safe to assume that almost none of that money went to seeing to your wellbeing?"

"Well, sir…there's not really much that I need…"

"Now that's enough!" he snapped. "Don't feed me that crap, Sakura." His reprimand stunned her, her emerald eyes widening. "I've had the records pulled on Ms. Haruno as well. I know exactly what she's been up to these last few years. DUIs out the wazoo, no employment to speak of. You are getting the bare minimum, from what I can tell. Your interests are not being looked out for."

She bit her quivering lip, casting her eyes to the ground so that he wouldn't be able to see the tears pooling at the corners over her eyes.

"Obviously that woman wasn't taking your rape case seriously. I know that if it were Hinata in your situation, I would have fought tooth and nail to see that bastard thrown in jail, pardon my language," he hissed, his face flushing with his pent up anger. "Clearly, she still isn't taking it seriously, if those bruises are any indication."

He released a breath, noticing her shuddering shoulders, to calm himself. Clenching his eyes shut, he didn't open them again until he regained his composure. "I gave a lot of thought into who could become your guardian, Sakura… I called Anko up, and she was more than happy to claim the title. _She_ is willing to fight for and protect you, if we can build up a strong enough case against your mother. Is this agreeable to you?"

Numbly, Sakura found that all she could do was nod.

"Good. I will speak more with Anko on the matter in the morning. Hopefully we can get this solved quickly… For now, I advise you to go get some sleep. I had Hinata set up the guest room for you."

Muttering a quiet thank you, Sakura rose from her seat and padded slowly to the door, her hand on the handle when Hiashi called out to her again.

"Sakura, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about what happened to you…"

She nodded, showing her acknowledgment of his apology, before turning the knob and exiting the office, walking sluggishly to her allotted room.

…

The weekend passed quickly, Sakura staying through to that Monday morning with the Hyuga family. By the time Monday had rolled around, her bruises had faded enough so that they weren't noticeable unless one was looking for them.

The week wore on slowly. Colorguard practice was awkward to say the least. Anko's looks of sympathy were starting to make her uncomfortable, but the orchid-haired woman refused to say anything for a change.

To her credit, Sakura tried not to let it bother her. Their first competition was on Saturday, so she tried to keep her thoughts on that, instead of her situation.

When she finally returned home Monday night, her mother was predictably, and thankfully, passed out on the couch from yet another drinking binge. She went to her room without disturbing her, wondering what would happen if they actually succeeded in getting her custody switched over to Anko.

She couldn't imagine it being an ideal situation. Anko was just about to get married to her long-time boyfriend, Zabuza Momochi, so surely her presence would be an unnecessary burden in their apartment. Plus, she doubted her mother would just give her up without a fight, simply out of pure spite. It would be a struggle to get anything changed, one that she wasn't quite sure would be worth it.

Her friends noticed her quiet demeanor throughout the week, only Hinata and Neji partially clued into what was going through her mind. Naruto didn't even know yet, but she had a feeling that somehow he'd find out without her telling him anything. That was just how he operated. Still, no one said anything to her. She had a feeling that they were afraid of what her reaction might be should they call her out on her behavior…

…

Neji's week passed on a little bit differently.

The first thing he did Monday morning was track down Naruto, something he had never done, so that he could learn more about the Sakura before her colorguard years. If anyone would have known her before then, it would be the boisterous blonde.

He found him in the cafeteria munching on a bagel before class started. Having arrived early, the Hyuga had a good twenty minutes before he had to be in the Biology classroom, and he planned on using it to get a head start on his questions.

"Hey, Neji!" the blue-eyed blonde greeted cheerfully. "What's up?"

He slid smoothly into the seat across from his teammate, regarding him coolly. "I had some questions about Haruno," he replied, resting his arms on the table.

Naruto quirked a brow as he swallowed a bite of the bread. "What about?" A grin blossomed on his face as his thoughts ran rampant. "Oh, I get it! You finally figured out that you like her, so now you're going to her best friend for a little reconnaissance." He chuckled excitedly. "Smart move."

Neji somehow managed to keep the blush from rising to his cheeks; the memory of Sakura's friendly kiss was still fresh in his mind, but he didn't have to let Naruto of all people know that… "Hn… Not at all," he scoffed masterfully. "I simply wished to discuss a vague piece of information she decided to bestow upon me."

The Uzumaki had the decency to appear sheepish, but he continued to chuckle as he took another bite of his bagel, waving him on.

"How is it that I never knew that she played soccer?"

As far as reactions went, Neji certainly hadn't been expecting Naruto to start choking… Unsympathetic, Neji watched with a dry expression as his teammate struggled to swallow the food that had attempted to lodge itself in his throat. Eventually, with a pair of watery eyes and a red face testament to his effort, he managed to finally swallow the bread.

Gasping, he panted out, "She told you about that?"

At Neji's annoyed glare, Naruto tried a different approach. "Sorry… I'm just surprised that she told you that…" His demeanor had shifted almost completely. No longer was he joking around, his expression surprisingly serious. "It's not something she likes to share."

"Well, are you going to tell me anything useful, or do I have to ask Sasuke? If she played, he'd know about it, so I didn't have to come to you…"

With a sigh, he tossed his bagel into a nearby trashcan, his appetite gone.

"No…Just…what do you want to know?"

Pleased that he was finally making some progress, the Hyuga allowed himself to smirk. "Was she any good?" he simply asked. It was as good a place as any to start with.

The blonde chuckled, nodding his head as he remembered. "Hehe, she was great. Best player on the team," he answered. "Her eighth grade year, she was put on the boys' varsity team for the high school; Coach thought she was _that_ good." He smirked slightly when he saw his captain's disbelieving expression. "Believe what you want, but I have a yearbook at home that proves it. Hell, ask Kankuro. He's a senior. He probably remembers."

"Well, why'd she give it up?"

At that, Naruto mimicked the sound of a buzzer. "Annnhhh! Sorry, dude, but that's taboo territory. Come back when you have a question without an answer that will get me castrated."

With perfect timing, the five-minute warning bell sounded. While Neji turned his head to get a look at the clock, Naruto made his escape, completely out of sight before the Hyuga turned back around.

Irritated at the response and hasty exit, Neji then strode to Biology with a frosty glare marring his countenance.

…

He spent the rest of the week trying to ask around about Sakura without her notice. His first victim was Kankuro, on Tuesday, who did in fact remember having a small, pink-haired teammate for a short while his freshmen year, but could not recall why she had suddenly quit.

"It was weird, man… I mean, I remember that she was _really _good. But then, randomly in the middle of the season, she just stopped coming to practice," he recalled with a shrug, unable to elaborate further.

He was able ask Lee about it on Wednesday, but the gangly youth hadn't known anything at all about the object of his affections playing soccer. Upon learning about her past experience with the sport, he had proclaimed that he would revive her passion for it, at which point Neji threatened him with more laps than he could possibly accomplish should he actually say anything about it to her. He agreed to remain silent, but he wasn't happy about it.

Finally, he managed to bring it up to Sasuke on Thursday. The youngest Uchiha quirked a brow in surprise when he mentioned it to him before practice that night. "Why are you asking?"

Neji had shrugged in response. "Curiosity," he replied. "What would make a supposed prodigy quit her craft?"

Sasuke had scoffed, flipping his bangs out of his face. "Got me. It was a stupid move on her part. I just know that Itachi was _pissed_ when she stopped going to practice."

Mention of Itachi set off a number of alarms in Neji's mind, but he managed to come off as nonchalant with a curious expression on his face. "Itachi was a coach then? I didn't think he was here for that long…"

His raven-haired teammate nodded. "Yeah, that was his first year coaching. He'd just graduated college and was looking for a little extra spending money. I remember I was all excited 'cause he'd be my coach when I made it to the high school team." His scowl belied his contrary opinion. "I learned quickly that wasn't the best situation…"

Now that it was Friday, he found himself frustrated that he hadn't learned much else. The one thing that his thoughts kept coming back to was the idea that Sakura's fierce phobia of Itachi might have stemmed from her time spent being a player on his team, but he couldn't figure out what would have led to that fear.

Currently sitting in Calculus, he cast her a sideways glance while Asuma scribbled mathematical formulas on the front board. He had noticed that she had been eerily quiet all week, not even bothering to remind him that the band had their first competition the next morning, one that he was supposed to attend.

He found himself wishing that she would get over what was bothering her, because to be frank, watching the girl he liked suffer was starting to make him antsy…

**End Chapter**

A/N: Well, I got him to admit that he likes her. :P Yay me! On the other hand, now you all know what's bothering Sakura, even if Neji doesn't understand everything quite yet. He'll find out soon, but until she tells him everything, there are some details you'll be missing out on. xD I'm evil.

Well, I would love a decent number of reviews. Please, can you give me at least five? You lovely readers have done it before. And trust me, I need the motivation…

-Samara


	8. First Competition

A/N: Well, first off I would like to thank my lovely readers for fulfilling my request of five reviews, topping it with six. :D Let's see if we can keep it up!

Next, I put a picture of Sakura in her guard costume on my DeviantArt. The link is on my profile if you want to check it out.

Then, just to clear something up, let's all assume that Neji has been going to colorguard practice, still fulfilling his part of the bet. However, he's not there very often due to soccer practice. I figured there might be some confusion in that department.

Finally, let's get this chapter moving! Please enjoy!

**Chapter 8: First Competition**

Waking up at five-thirty in the morning on a Saturday was not something that Neji Hyuga particularly enjoyed. Doing it so that he could go to a band competition made it all the more worse…

Hinata had explained to him that if he didn't want to pay the entrance fee, he'd have to ride with the band. And while paying five dollars wasn't exactly breaking his budget, if he could get in for free, he wanted to.

That was how he found himself sitting next to Sakura in the back of a crowded bus. In the seat next to them, he recognized the redhead, Sasori he recalled, sitting with a blonde that looked a lot like Ino… In front of those two sat Temari and the Yamanaka in question, and beside them were Shikamaru and Choji.

"So, Sakura, I heard you got your costumes in last night," Shikamaru drawled, spinning a drumstick with a lazy smirk on his face. "How'd they look?"

Judging by the reactions of Temari and Ino, they weren't good. The two girls had just simultaneously smacked their foreheads, groaning torturously.

Sakura rolled her eyes, smiling brightly. "They're actually not as bad as they could have been." She ran her fingers through her straight locks, wincing at the thought of how it was going to be done for the show. "It's the hair that's going to be a total bitch. Somehow, Iruka got it in his head that teased hair with bird feathers sticking out would make for an _amazing_ visual…"

At that, the unidentified blonde and Choji broke out in uncontrollable laughter, Sasori and Shikamaru chuckling quietly to themselves.

Ino was livid, turning sharply around in her seat so that she could reach back and smack her counterpart upside the head. "Shut up, Dei!" she screeched, huffing as she glared at him. "God forbid anything happen to _your_ hair! You'd think you'd have some sympathy!"

While Neji had almost no idea what was happening, he couldn't help chuckling as well.

…

As soon as they arrived at the school hosting the competition, the guard was ushered into the changing rooms. Anko was waiting impatiently, armed with beauty products, for one of the girls to come out so that she could apply the makeup.

A number of band moms were hovering close by, Anko's personal application army. They were waiting for Anko to show them _how _to apply the makeup.

Neji, on the other hand, was hanging around by the buses, leaning against one with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He was incredibly bored…

In his effort to hide from a testy Anko, Kakashi had a similar idea. Sighting the Hyuga already propped up against one of the vehicles, he smiled (at least that's what Neji thought. He couldn't really tell from under the man's scarf…) and waved at the teen, joining him with a sigh. "Hey, Neji," he greeted kindly, running a hand through his silver hair.

The soccer player quirked a brow in confusion but politely replied. "Hey."

Kakashi chuckled to himself, mimicking the boy's posture. "Had to get away from Anko before she asked for my help," he explained at Neji's quizzical expression. "Just because I'm bi doesn't mean I know how to apply makeup."

Neji tried to hide his exasperation at the man's statement, unsure of how to respond to such a blunt comment. Turns out he didn't have to. Kakashi smiled in sympathy, his eyes closing momentarily as he continued to chuckle, allowing Neji the opportunity to see the scar over the instructor's left eye.

As if feeling the weight of the teen's gaze on him, Kakashi looked at him knowingly. "Wondering about my scar?" He hummed thoughtfully at the youth's sheepish expression. "Bad sabre toss," he explained with a shrug. "Nearly lost my eye. Can't say those things aren't dangerous."

Astounded, Neji blinked in surprise. "Why'd you stick with it then?" he asked, his disbelief obvious.

Kakashi's expression turned thoughtful. "Hm…Not sure, honestly." He leaned his head against the metal of the bus. "But I _can_ tell you it took a long time to get my confidence back. It takes time to bounce back from something like that, always questioning yourself, worrying about the outcome."

"How long did it take you?"

Kakashi bowed his head, released a humored breath. "Hehe, longer than I would have liked." He paused, looking intently at Sakura's charge. "She likes you, you know." When he scoffed in disbelief, Kakashi shook his head. "No, really. What you have to keep in mind is that Sakura is trying to bounce back too."

"Bounce back from what?"

"Not a bad sabre toss, I'll tell you that much." The older man pushed off from the bus, ending the conversation at that. Without another look at Neji, Kakashi started walking back to his congregating team, feeling rather smug as he passed by an irate Iruka who was about to shout his name.

…

When he saw Sakura in full costume, he had to admit that while the outfit _did_ look absolutely ridiculous, she looked pretty good. She, however, must have mistaken his admiration for a look of ridicule for she simply stood there, glaring at him, with her hands on her hips.

"Well?" Even under the makeup, he could tell she had a demanding look on her face. "If you have something to say, say it!"

He tried, he really did, to keep from laughing. Her expression, not helped in the least by her makeup, combined with her tone of voice, added onto by her severely teased hair, was extremely comical. He just couldn't _help _it…

She looked like she wanted to shout at him, but she seemed to be suppressing the urge.

Once his laughter died down, he rolled his eyes. "I know you want to say something, Haruno," he teased. "Why aren't you screaming like a banshee? It looks like it's killing you not to."

She took a deep breath, her glare intensifying. "I can't yell at you while I'm in costume…" she grudgingly informed him. "It's unprofessional…"

"Colorguard! Let's line up! We're moving on to the warm up area!" Iruka shouted over the band. "Make sure to get all your equipment together!"

Shooting an exasperated look Neji's way, Sakura walked briskly to the flag bags, helping distribute the instruments. Each piece of equipment was identified by name, the rosette calling them out as she found them.

"Hinata!" She handed a green flag to the Hyuga girl. "TenTen!" A sabre to the brunette. "Kimiko!" A swing flag to the senior rookie.

Eventually all the flags and weapons were handed out, all the girls lined up with their equipment held in cradle as they waited to get moving. Not knowing where to go, Neji took to standing next to Sakura at the front of the line. He spared a glance her way, wincing when he realized that the sun was bearing down on her in her dark-colored costume, stunned by how composed she appeared to be even though he knew she was probably sweating from the heat.

"All right, let's move out!"

…

When the performance ended roughly an hour later, the band and colorguard wasted no time in stripping themselves of their uniforms. Only the drum majors, Kimimaro and Haku, and Sakura and Hinata remained dressed, much to their obvious displeasure.

When they trudged unhappily to join the rest of the band as they grabbed lunch, Neji caught up to the two girls, asking them why they weren't changing like everyone else.

"We have to go out for retreat…" Sakura grumbled, looking on as all the other band members dug into their food. That was another thing they couldn't do in uniform…Eat… "Anko didn't want to risk us ruining our makeup before then…"

Hinata nodded in confirmation. "Yeah…But why did Anko pick me? Why not Ino or Temari?" She looked just as distressed as her pink-haired friend, and sounded extremely confused about the instructor's choice.

Sakura shrugged, laying down her retrieved band jacket so she could sit down on the ground. "It's a good thing," she admitted with a sigh. "It just _sucks_, is all…"

Neji sat across from her, reclining against the back of a stray tree. "Hn. Well, you guys didn't look that bad out there," he said in an attempt at a compliment. Even as he said this, his eyes were on the Haruno and her alone.

Knowing that he was trying, Sakura tried to smile, for once thankful for the makeup on her face as it hid her furious blush.

…

Considering it would be quite a while until retreat started, small groups of the band were making their way back to the football stadium to watch the other bands perform in an effort to get rid of their boredom and get a feel for their competition.

Due to the fact that Neji still didn't know any of the band members all that well, he remained close to Sakura and Hinata, sitting between them when they finally found a seat in the bleachers.

Almost immediately after they sat down, a group of males from another band called out to them. "Hey! You're from the Konoha band, right?"

Sakura and Hinata turned around to regard the boys, blinking in surprise. "Huh? O-Oh, yes," Hinata stuttered, unused to the attention.

The boys smiled at Hinata but turned their focus on Sakura. "You did the sabre solo, right? That was great! No one in our band's colorguard could do that."

Neji turned his head to get a look at them, unable to help narrowing his eyes. He didn't like the way they were looking at the Haruno, but he remained quiet, waiting to see how the situation played out.

The rosette nodded sharply, a soft smile on her face as she beamed at the recognition. "Yeah," she replied cheerily. "Thank you. I'm glad you liked it. Where are you guys from?" She asked the question just to be polite, Neji could tell. Having been around her for as long as he had, he was quick to pick up on her mannerisms, and she was currently giving off waves of irritation; lack of food was starting to get to her…

The rival band members didn't seem to catch on for their prideful grins grew exponentially. "We're from Kiri," one of them answered boastfully, as if that should have had her swooning at their feet. Neji repressed a snicker when she didn't seem to recognize them.

"Oh, uh…Kiri…That's…" She looked to Hinata for help, but the Hyuga girl only shrugged. "Uh, cool," she finished lamely. She tried to turn around, in an attempt to end the conversation and focus on the band currently performing, but the Kiri members continued to make conversation.

"You know, we didn't get your name there," one black-haired guy smoothly pointed out.

"Oh…It's…" She hesitated, not wanted to give her name to anyone, torn from keeping her privacy and being professional.

"None of your business," Neji came to her rescue with a sneer, his frosty glare enough to silence their questions. "Now, if you'd please _shut up_. We're trying to watch…"

Hinata looked about ready to burst out into laughter at the looks on the Kiri band member's faces but managed to hold it in. As Sakura turned back around, without so much as an apologetic glance their way for Neji's behavior, she gave the soccer player a grateful smile, to which he responded with a barely noticeable nod and a smug smirk.

"Thanks," she whispered with a sheepish grin.

He shrugged, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward, his eyes on the field. "Don't mention it." Though he was outwardly nonchalant, inwardly, he couldn't help feeling the pride bubble up inside of him.

…

It was dark before the announcers finally called all of the bands out for retreat. Dark and cold, a sharp contrast to the heat they had experienced earlier in the day.

Unable to line up with the band, Neji was forced to stay near the guard instructors who paid him little mind. They were all intently staring at the field, searching for Sakura and Hinata as they made their way out for retreat. The applause of the crowd was deafening, and Neji finally realized just how many bands there were when he looked down the field.

"_Starting in the D division,"_ the announcer stated over the speakers, the blaring sound putting a hush over the crowd. "_In sixth place...the Moya high school marching band!"_

The crowd roared with excitement, the Moya supporters out of team spirit despite being in last place for their division, the other schools cheering for the fact that they _weren't_ in last place.

With his arms crossed over his chest, the long-haired Hyuga approached the instructors, meaning to ask a question. He managed to catch Kakashi's eye, and luckily the man didn't seem as uptight as the others so he determined that it was safe to ask him.

"What division is Konoha in?"

The scarf-wearing sabre instructor reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out what looked like a program for the competition. He thumbed through it quickly, flipping open to the correct page before showing it to Neji. "We're in the A division," he replied with a sympathetic sigh. "We'll be waiting for a while."

With a groan, Neji looked for a way to keep a conversation going. So far, Kakashi wasn't so bad. In fact, Neji could honestly say he had respect for the man. "How do you think they'll place?"

Iruka seemed to hear the question for he turned around and stepped up to take part in its answer. "It's hard to say," he told the teen, Kakashi agreeing with a nod. "We didn't get to see any of the bands in our division." He took the program from his coworker's hands, eyeing the other bands critically. "If we're basing it on past experience, then we'll probably place pretty high. We actually had a decent performance today…"

On a whim, Neji asked about Kiri.

Kakashi quirked a brow. "What about Kiri?" He sounded amused at the school's mention.

Neji shrugged nonchalantly. "Just curious."

"Huh. Well, they're in our division," Iruka supplied with a sigh. Judging by the look on his face, he didn't believe they belonged there. "But they haven't been known to place very well."

"I actually went to teach some work for them," Kakashi added with a shudder. "It…well, it wasn't pretty… Their guard had no idea what it was doing…You've seen Hana and Kimiko…" By the silver-haired man's tone, he had little say in the decision to recruit the two bitchy senior girls. "Picture that, only ten times worse…"

Somehow, Neji managed to keep the conversation going until the A division awards began, where he was promptly shushed.

"_Next, in the A Division… In seventh place…the Taki high school marching band!"_

The predictable clamor that resulted from the cheering nearly gave Neji a headache as he strained to listen to the announcer. Vaguely, he noted that everyone was clapping politely for the rival bands and wisely decided that he should probably start doing the same.

"_In sixth place…the Kusa high school marching band!"_

More polite cheering and clapping.

His eyes caught sight of movement not too far down the field, and he realized that the school's representatives did a small routine as they accepted their award.

"_In fifth place…the Kiri high school marching band!"_

Close by, he heard someone counting off. He turned his head just in time to see the whole of Kiri's band salute, unable to help the smirk when he took note of their low placement. 'Serves those morons right,' he thought, refusing to clap as he nodded to himself.

"_In fourth place…the Kumo high school marching band!"_

Now the Konoha band was starting to get tense. Most were starting to hold their breath in an effort to calm their nerves. This was met with varied results.

"_In third place…the Iwa high school marching band!"_

The cheering was even louder now. Turning his head, he chanced a look at Hanabi, shaking his head when he saw that she was about ready to have a panic attack. The veterans were quietly trying to calm her down.

"_In second place, the runner-up…"_

The stadium got eerily quiet as everyone now tensed. It didn't matter what band was called, they would know the winner after the announcer broke the silence of his prolonged pause. Even Neji found himself holding his breath.

"_The Oto high school marching band!"_

It took awhile for the deafening cheers to die down once again, but now the supporters of Konoha were cheering full blast alongside those of Oto, doubling the amount of noise.

"_And in first place, the Konoha high school marching band!"_

His eyes caught on the field once again when he saw Sakura and Hinata move in synchronized steps, their motions birdlike, yet graceful. Even from his spot in the crowd, he could see a number of other awards sitting at the drum majors' feet and he wondered what they had received those for. He made a note to ask Sakura later. For the moment, he applauded his classmate and cousin proudly, surprisingly excited for their achievement.

"_Congratulations to all! Thank you for your participation, and wonderful performances!"_

…

The bus ride back to Konoha was even more lively than the ride to the competition. Everyone was ecstatic about their achievement, hyped up on the adrenaline brought on by the excitement.

He sat once more next to Sakura, who was happy to be back in her normal clothes with a clean face and featherless hair, despite the fact that it was still extensively teased. In her lap she cradled one of the alternative awards he'd seen earlier, and he eyed it with curiosity.

"What's that for?" he asked, pointing to the glass trophy.

"Hm? Oh, this?" She held it up for him, smiling profoundly. Their neighbors had similar looks on their faces to varying degrees. "We got the 'Best Guard' award for our division," she informed him with satisfaction, her tone as close to being purely giddy as it was ever going to get.

"Hey, don't forget we also got 'Best Percussion'," Shikamaru reminded her with a smirk.

"And 'Best Overall Effect'," Deidara added. "Damn! We kicked _ass_!"

Even Sasori chuckled at his friend's blunt statement, resting his head against the seat. "One down, five to go," he murmured with a wry smile. "It was a damn good way to start off the season though."

No one could disagree.

…

It was almost midnight by the time they got back to Konoha's band room. Tazuna wasted little time in placing the awards where they could be admired, and the students wasted none when it came to gathering their belongings so that they could head for home.

Neji managed to catch Sakura again just as she was coming out of the guard closet, the two simply standing there staring at each other.

Awkwardly, Neji looked down at the floor, his hands in his pockets. "Uh…Hm…Congratulations," he eventually stated sincerely.

She smiled softly, nodding her head. "Thank you."

He chuckled lightly, meeting her eyes. Before she could understand what was happening, he drew her into his arms in a somewhat tender embrace. "Really," he whispered in her ear, unable to repress his smile when he felt her hands against his chest. "You were great." He pulled away, catching the tail-end of her blush.

She flushed deeply, unable to stammer out a response.

He chuckled again, not maliciously, just...her reaction was almost…cute. "Do you need a ride home?" he asked suavely, his offer sincere.

She managed to regain her wits for she shook her head. "Uh, no…Anko's giving me a lift. Thanks though."

He took a step back, beginning his retreat. "No problem," he told her with a nod. "I'll see you Monday." He walked backwards for a few, slow steps before turning to retrieve his cousins, leaving Sakura standing in the hallway.

When he was out of her line of sight, she placed a hand over her chest. Her heart was hammering like no one would believe, and honestly, she couldn't find it in herself to care. With a smile she too turned and headed down the hall, aiming for the parking lot. Oddly enough, she found herself looking forward to Monday.

**End Chapter**

A/N: Yay! Chapter eight is done! Woot! This was a more upbeat chapter. I thought it would be a nice change of pace, plus there was a hint of Neji/Sakura fluff. :P

Now for some bad news. My next chapter will be delayed for a couple of weeks. Starting next Monday, I have AP exams. Over the course of the next two and a half weeks, I'll be studying extensively, so I won't have the time to work on a new chapter now that I'm completely out of pre-written ones.

I'll try and make sure the next one is a long one to make up for the lack of updates. Please make sure to review to this chapter in the meantime though, okay?

Much love! And wish me luck on my exams!

-Samara


	9. Facing the Game

A/N: Ah! So sorry for the delay! I really was busy though, with prom and my AP tests. On the plus side, my last day of school was Thursday, so I have a lot of free time now.

I've also been trying to spend more time with my friends, since we'll see very little of each other come the fall thanks to college. I found my roommate by the way; she's a chemical engineering major, if that's not intimidating enough for you… Oh well! I'm sure it will be fine!

Oh, just to clear something else up, Temari and Kankuro are both seniors. I'm ignoring their actual birthdays, so just bear with me. For the sake of the story, Temari was late starting school, and Kankuro was just a little bit early. That's why, in this fic, they're in the same class.

So, I hope that I don't take this long to update again. My schedule should be clear of anything that would interrupt my writing time for awhile.

Please enjoy!

**Chapter 9: Facing the Game**

"You should come to a soccer game some time."

She looked at him like he'd grown two heads. His statement literally came out of nowhere, and he'd said it while they were taking notes on the proper way to remove a frog's intestines. He wasn't even looking at her when the words escaped his lips.

"And why should I do that?" she asked, her brow furrowing as she tried to sound nonchalant. The fact of the matter was, was that there was almost no way she would _ever_ go to a soccer game where she could potentially see the man she despised above all else. She continued to scribble down notes as Orochimaru added them to the board.

Neji shrugged, reclining in his chair as he simply watched Mr. Hebino go through the instructions. "I've been going to your practices and I went to your competition," he pointed out, his tone neutral. "It's only fair."

The rosette glanced at the Hyuga from the corner of her eye, humming to herself so that she didn't have to give him a straight answer.

He seemed to think that it meant she was considering it. "We have a game Wednesday night," he informed her. "It's a decent match up. We're playing Kiri."

She snorted, finding it somewhat funny that that was supposed to encourage her to attend. "Kiri? You mean the school we wiped the floor with on Saturday?"

"Their soccer team is actually pretty good," he told her, smirking haughtily. "Not nearly as good as we are, but good."

"Mr. Hyuga, four legs _please_." The rest of the class chortled quietly when the Biology teacher once again called out the Hyuga for not sitting correctly in his chair. When he heard the click of all four chair legs hitting the tile, he returned to writing his notes. "Thank you."

Said Hyuga glared at the Haruno when she snickered to herself at his expense, but refused to let up on his persistent attempt to convince her to go to his game. "What? Are you _scared_?" he hissed, his eyes narrowed as he observed her reaction carefully. Mr. Nice Neji had only been in town for the weekend, and he hadn't wanted to upset Sakura at her competition. But as soon as Monday rolled around, he'd been kicked out by Mr. 'Tell Me What I Want to Know' Neji, and _this_ Neji was determined to get to the root of Sakura's issues whether she liked it or not. Of course, she didn't react in the way he expected.

He had fully expected her to bristle at the comment and deny everything, then declare that she would go to his game just to prove to him how wrong he was. He didn't expect her to shrug noncommittally, without even combating his accusation. It seemed that her fear of Itachi outweighed even her temper.

When she didn't rise to his bait, something that he'd been betting on, he was forced to let the subject drop for the time being. But, he resolved, that didn't mean he couldn't bug her about it later.

…

What Neji didn't know was that Sakura was seriously considering his argument. She knew that he was in the right to ask such a thing from her. They were, she'd now admit, friends. This was the sort of thing that friends did for each other.

Granted, Naruto didn't expect her to come to the games, knowing her situation like he did. He completely understood and never once asked her to come see them play, knowing what could result from her attendance. But Neji didn't know. How could he? No one told him what Itachi had done to her, and because she honestly didn't plan on telling him any time soon, she couldn't expect him to understand like her blonde friend.

But Neji was right; it was only fair. Sure, he'd become a guard groupie on a bet, but he was sticking with it despite the inconvenience. He was going to every practice he could, and he _did_ go to support them at competition. Added, he'd comforted her, saved her even, from her wretched home life.

When she considered everything, it was only natural that she had more reasons to go to the game than hide out in her bedroom.

Besides, the soccer team was pretty popular. There would be a ton of people there, so her odds of running into Itachi were slim.

'But what if…' Aye. There was the rub. That _what if_ hanging in the back of her mind. There was always a chance that something could go horribly wrong. What if, because the magnitude of the crowd, no one would notice if she went missing? What if, god forbid, she actually bumped into him.

She shuddered at the thought as she bit into her sandwich, ignoring the confused glances of her friends. She was quiet, lost in her thoughts, while the lot of them raved on and on about their first place win at the competition to an interested, noodle-slurping Naruto.

…

Against her better judgment, she found herself showing up to the game.

She sighed when she looked to the scoreboard, wincing when she saw that it was already in the second quarter of the match. She'd spent more time trying to build up her nerve than she expected…

"Are you okay, Sakura?" Temari looked at her with concern, wondering what her problem could be. "You seem really jumpy…"

The pink-haired junior nodded, smiling reassuringly at her friend. "I'm fine. Let's see if we can find some seats."

Temari had been nice enough to pick her up on her way to the game. She usually did stop by to watch, considering her brother was on the team, plus, Sakura had no other way to get there…

She was extremely grateful that her dirty-blonde friend didn't question her hesitance to leave the car, instead patiently waiting for her fellow guard member to reach a state of calm. She had a feeling that Temari was vaguely aware that she had some sort of issue with something to do with their proximity to the game, but again, whatever Temari _was _aware of, she didn't let on about it.

Before she knew it, she was being pulled to sit in the bleachers, on one of the far ends of the field.

"I managed to find some seats by the home goal," Temari explained, her voice barely heard over the dull roar of the crowd. "They're nice for now, but they'll suck once the second half starts. Sorry."

Sakura shook her head, assuring the older girl that the seats were perfectly fine. It had been her fault they'd gotten such poor seats anyway.

She then turned to actually watch the game. When she'd looked at the scoreboard, she had seen that neither team had scored yet, which she supposed meant that she really hadn't missed anything too important. Looking down watching the players, she managed to identify all of Konoha's players. Kankuro was keeping the goal while Naruto and Lee served as defenders. That left Sasuke and Neji on the offensive, and Sakura couldn't help the small grin that sprouted on her lips when she saw that Neji had the ball.

That grin was quickly wiped off of her face, however, when she saw a familiar head of black hair stalking the grounds along the sidelines. She felt her heart rate increase with her anxiety, and tried in vain to calm herself down, telling herself that the odds of him seeing her were slim to none.

As soon as _that_ thought crossed her mind, she cursed her own stupidity. The chances of him seeing her were pretty high. After all, she was the only one in the school with a head of bright, bubblegum pink hair… If, for some reason he decided to scan the crowd, she was screwed.

'Come on Sakura! Get it together!' she inwardly growled. 'Let's be realistic. Even if he does see you, there are too many people around. He wouldn't risk doing anything.' Even to herself, the argument sounded incredibly weak…

To keep herself from having a panic attack, she tore her eyes away from Itachi and focused them on someone far less threatening, her heart warming with pride when she managed to look up in time to see Sasuke pass to Neji, who then launched the ball past the head of Kiri's goalie.

The crowd erupted in an uproar of cheering, Sakura unable to keep from shouting her own joy with them as she stood abruptly from her seat with everyone else.

She chuckled to herself a bit, finding it funny that she was able to fall back so easily into old practices. Even after four years away from the game, she found herself critiquing the plays that Kiri executed. 'I thought that Neji said they were good…'she commented to herself with a wince. 'He was probably just being nice.' At that thought, she _did_ laugh.

…

By the fourth quarter, Sakura had relaxed quite a bit. Realizing that Itachi _never_ looked into the stands, she was able to enjoy the rest of the game. Currently, she was just as worked up as the rest of the crowd was; Kiri had somehow managed to score sometime in the third quarter, and it seemed like they were playing even better than they had been. At the rate things were going, they might actually win.

She gripped the rim of her bench when Kiri had the ball dangerously close to Konoha's goal, her knuckles a ghostly white. It was only when Naruto came out of nowhere to steal the ball that she loosened her grip, cheering for her blonde best friend at the top of her lungs. "Yeah! Way to go, Naruto!" Knowing that he couldn't hear her, she vowed to congratulate him on his awesome play the next time she saw him.

Her excitement continued to build when he passed it off to Lee. The enthusiastic teen pulled off an impressive fake out before lobbing it to Sasuke, the youngest Uchiha stopping the airborne ball with his chest as he jumped into the air. He dribbled it up the field for a bit, waiting for the perfect opportunity to pass it off to Neji.

"C'mon Neji," she chanted over and over, willing him to get around his guard and get open.

As if he'd heard her, he dashed around his opponent, setting himself up for Sasuke's imminent pass. Almost as if in slow motion, she saw Sasuke practically punt the ball, forcing the Hyuga to sprint up the field to catch up with it before it landed. Calculating the distance in her head, she knew that it would be close. But if he could work it just right…

Her breath hitched when he managed to get under it, right in front of the goal. Wondering at what he was going to do, she could honestly say she wasn't all that surprised when the hard headed Hyuga head-butted the checkered ball.

With the ball's intense speed from the power of Sasuke's kick, coupled with the angle that Neji struck it, the ball whizzed past the Kiri goalie before he could even get his hands up, the net swooshing almost violently with the impact.

Like before the crowd erupted with ecstatic cheering, Sakura one of them. She, however, had enough sense to look at the scoreboard to confirm the remaining time, screaming even louder when she saw that there were only mere seconds left of the final quarter.

…

She honestly didn't know what she was thinking when she ran out with the crowd to congratulate the players on their victory. She just chalked it up to the atmosphere affecting what little judgment she had.

She'd lost Temari in the chaos, but somehow managed to make it to the players without getting herself crushed or trampled. She found Naruto first, and she could've laughed at the incredulous look on his face when he realized that she was in fact there.

She practically launched herself into his arms, squealing happily in her excitement. "Naruto! You were awesome!" she praised sincerely, amazed that she could even hear herself over the noise the mob was making. "That interception? Took my breath away!"

"S-Sakura? You saw that?" he asked in surprise, wondering if this was too good to be true. He grinned from ear to ear when he realized that she really was there, but the smile quickly fell when he thought about the risk of her being there. "Are you sure it was a good idea to—"

"Hold on!" she told him, still beaming with pride. "I need to go find Neji!" She ran off before he could stop her, disappearing back into the crowd within seconds.

Helplessly, he tore off in the direction he'd seen her go, determined to keep her out of trouble should Itachi decide to join them in celebration for their victory. "Sakura! Wait! Sakura!"

She found Neji back at the sidelines, gulping water from a plastic bottle while simultaneously wiping his forehead with a sweat rag. To say he was shocked when she practically tackled him was an understatement if there ever was one.

"Sakura? You actually came?" he asked, his eyes wide with disbelief when she pulled away.

She smiled proudly as she nodded, placing her hands on her hips. "Uh-huh," she drawled cutely. "And I must say, that was some very impressive work you were doing out there." As if suddenly thinking over something, she started fretting over him. "Oh my god! Is your head okay! I can't believe you actually _did _that! You're lucky if you don't have a concussion!"

"Sakura!"

The two juniors' heads snapped to the side when they saw a panting Naruto trying to extricate himself from the hands of his adoring fans. After a moment, he separated himself completely and jogged to the bench, gripping the Haruno by her shoulders.

"What were you thinking?" he demanded to know, stunning both Sakura and Neji with his serious tone. "Don't you know how risky it was to come here?" At this point, he didn't much care that Neji was listening in. "What if he saw you?"

Visibly shaken, Sakura gulped, finding resolve even as her fears started to close in on her. "I-I can't keep hiding forever!" she shakily replied, her voice finding strength as she continued. She, however, was aware of the Hyuga, and so dropped her voice to a level only Naruto could hear. "Besides, how long have _you_ been supporting _me_? I had to come cheer you on this time! And it's not like he could've done anything with this crowd around."

"Don't be stupid! This isn't about support! I know that you'll support me no matter what!" Neji wasn't sure if he'd ever seen Naruto so worked up about something before, even if he wasn't completely savvy about what was going on. "It's about keeping you safe! If you think that he couldn't have done anything here, then you're an idiot!"

"Naruto Uzumaki! What's done is done! I came to see you play, and nothing happened!" she nearly roared, happy that he was so worried about her but irritated beyond belief that he didn't think she'd thought things through. "Jeez! I was trying to show you how proud I was, and you freak out!"

She whipped around to face the Hyuga before the blonde could get up the nerve to respond, her cheery smile back in place. "You were right," she admitted with a wink. "It was a good game. I'm glad that you convinced me to come see it. I'll have to come to another sometime." When he nodded, almost dumbly, her smile grew. "Just make sure you put some ice where that ball hit. It'll hurt like a bitch later."

He chuckled at her bluntness, assuring her that he was just fine. He ended up asking her opinion on some of their plays, and continued to talk about the game as a whole until Temari found them.

"Hey, Sakura. You ready to go?" she asked, pulling her keys out of her bag, twirling them around her finger with a lazy smirk plastered on her face. She nodded her acknowledgement to the Hyuga and Uzumaki before latching onto the rosette's arm, dragging her away before she could respond.

Sheepishly, she waved to her friends as she was led away, promising to talk more about them game with them the next day.

Even when she finally arrived home, she still thought about the game. Mostly, she was thinking about how she'd been so paranoid, almost to the point of ridiculousness. She giggled to herself, determining that she would definitely have to go again.

'Honestly, Sakura. He never even looked into the stands. What were you so worried about?'

How was she to know that the man she feared most had found her just as soon as she stopped keeping an eye on him…

**End Chapter**

A/N: Well, not really a long chapter, but it's an update… And a halfway decent one at that.

I really don't have much to say this time around, other than I'm graduating from high school this Friday, so if anyone wants to congratulate me (winkwink, hinthint, nudgenudge), the best way to do so is by review!

Here's a little challenge for you guys! See if you can get me to 45 reviews. ;) Please?

Much love!

-Samara


	10. Reflection

A/N: Wow! Thanks so much for all of your reviews! I'm going to have to set a quota more often. :3 I really appreciate it, guys, and it helps me out more than you know.

Well, in the week since I last updated, I graduated high school, had my graduation party, had a ton of family over, and went to my friends' graduation parties. It's been a very eventful week. And yet, I've found time to update.

For once, I'd like to take the time to thank my reviewers individually, and respond to some of their ideas and questions.

Echo Uchiha: Haha, thanks. ^.^ I'm glad you think it's cool.

Air Angel32: Aw! I'm glad I could do that for you. And I appreciate the enthusiasm. ;) Although, it looks like I miscalculated the pace of my story; I might not get to Winter Guard. I'll just have to see what happens as I keep writing.

Kittens Hellfire: xD

iLuvMaltesers: Thanks for the compliment. I'm happy you enjoy the way I tell my story.

domdom456789: Haha, well, she has every reason to be worried. And thank you!

Sukaretto Miyuki: I try my hardest to keep everyone in character. Sometimes it's difficult, but I guess I'm managing it well enough. ;) I'm glad you enjoy my writing style.

Astrianna Glaze: Hehe, sometimes I have to stop myself when I'm writing to make sure I'm not rushing things too much. I tend to get ahead of myself. ^.^'

Thanks everyone! Your support keeps me going, even as my motivation starts to slip away. I keep it up just for you guys. ;D

In this chapter, Sakura reflects on what happened in her past. She won't be telling anyone what really happened for a few more chapters, and things might still be a little hazy until she does, but this will help you piece things together. Maybe… ;D Sadly, this chapter is really short on account of the subject matter, and a lack of time on my part.

Now, let's start this next chapter, shall we?

**Chapter 10: Reflection**

It was currently a couple weeks after the soccer game. In that time, the band had managed to get third place out of eight bands in their second competition of the season. To Neji's surprise, they had been thrilled with the placing.

Now that it was the beginning of October, the competition schedule would be almost hectic. They had a competition every weekend that month, and the guard just knew that it would be an incredibly stressful time. Anko, Kakashi, and Iruka were already running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to get the last bit of work choreographed in time to sync it with the last song… And they only had the small gym for a couple hours.

"Ugh! I hate this!" Ino groaned as she walked back to her set in the small gym, dragging her giant "wing" flag behind her. "It's so heavy! And it's so difficult to move! What were they thinking!"

TenTen smiled sympathetically, rolling her shoulders. "It's a visual thing," she replied with a shrug. "What can you do about it?"

The wing flags were in fact terribly heavy on account of the fact that it was weighed down with fabric. The intent was to make them look like large blackbird wings, and they were actually pretty close, but they weren't practical in the least…

"Yeah, well, my arms are killing me!"

She heard Sakura snort from behind her. "Yeah?" she asked, trudging back to her spot. Her voice dropped an octave so that only the other two girls could hear her. "Do you have a freaking duet with Hana? I think not. I think I reserve the right to bitch about this stupid section…"

The two winced, knowing that Sakura had a point.

"Alright, colorguard! Set it back up! We're running that section again!"

…

As usual, Sakura was the last one at the school after practice. Like always, her mother never showed up to retrieve her and so she was forced to wait.

Hinata and Ino had both offered to drive her home, as had Anko, but she'd sent them on ahead, saying that if she didn't show up by the time the soccer team was done practicing, she'd just ride with Naruto. They'd shrugged helplessly as they walked back to their cars, and Anko had glared at her, not believing her story for a second. Still, she'd managed to convince the woman to leave while she waited just a little bit longer.

Left alone, the rosette sighed, running a hand through her damp hair as she walked slowly around the sidewalk that surrounded the parking lot.

Without any thought behind the action whatsoever, her feet dragged her to the corner that overlooked the soccer team's practice field. She smiled absently when she sighted Neji barking orders, rolling her eyes at his typical behavior. He looked like he was getting ready to start them on a drill.

Naruto was whining at how unfair the whole thing was; she could practically read it in his body posture. She nearly laughed outright when she saw him trying to get sympathy from Sasuke, who only shoved him away in annoyance.

Lee looked like he was trying to pump up the team, vowing that he would finish whatever drill Neji dished out for them. Kankuro was having absolutely no part of it.

She snickered to herself when Neji's voice had them jump in shock.

Looking around the corner discreetly to continue observing, she considered her relationship with the Hyuga. He really wasn't as bad as she had initially thought. He actually was a really nice guy who seemed to care what happened to her, despite the irritating front he put up.

Vaguely she entertained the idea that he was her anchor, in some odd fashion. For the longest time, that title had only ever gone to Naruto, because he was the only one who knew the circumstances of some major aspects of her life. But now, Neji was aware of one, and was quickly closing in on the others. He was becoming someone she could lean on, and she honestly couldn't say that she was unhappy about it.

One thought, however, had her backtracking in her mind. The fact was, was that Naruto _didn't_ know everything that had happened to her. He had knew part of what happened, but as far as he knew that part was all there was to the story. But he didn't know the part that truly mattered…

Naruto, as it would happen, was not aware of Sakura's rape by his coach, and if Sakura had her way he never would be. The blonde shared the love of the sport she had before her violation, and she couldn't bear the thought that he would give it up because of what happened to her. She knew that he probably had a right to know, since he was _playing_ under the very man that stripped her of her innocence, but for whatever reason she thought his ignorance was for the best.

She hummed as she thought about that painful part of her past, her brow furrowing as she watched the soccer team practice without really watching them.

Back then…

That was when all the bad things in her life started. When her mother started with the drinking and the mental abuse. When her father left. When her dreams were shattered into the ground.

She was still deeply saddened by that loss in her life.

Soccer had been her passion. She had wanted to play professionally. Had things played out differently, she probably would have, but the opportunity was gone.

Sakura supposed that it had led to something good, but that was if she was looking beyond all the suffering she experienced. Plus, seeing Naruto and Neji experience the same passion that she'd once had made her…almost happy.

The guard was like a godsend, almost like a family. A family that she had so desperately needed. It had helped her come back out of her shell, for after her _accident_, as she liked to refer to it, she had become extremely introverted.

She really wasn't sure when she'd started to regain her old spark. Everything was blurred from the time she'd met Hinata to the time when she and Ino had reignited their old friendship.

'Oh yeah,' she thought to herself with nod. 'We both had that huge crush on Sasuke…' She worried her lip with her teeth as she adjusted the bag on her shoulder. 'I couldn't even look at him after… He looked so much like Itachi…' She shook her head, allowing herself to smile softly. 'I think being her friend again helped my confidence… She made sure I was never alone…'

With a sigh she focused once more on the soccer team, smiling a little more as she looked at Neji, before deciding it would be in her best interest to go back and wait inside the school.

The last thing she expected was to bump into someone's chest.

"I am so sorry," she started, sheepishly shaking her head. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She lifted her eyes to look at the figure she'd run into, her breath hitching in her throat when they locked with a pair of familiar, cold black irises.

Before she could even think to scream, his hand lashed out to cover her mouth, his other arm wrapping around her small body with an almost bone crushing grip. He proceeded to drag her away from the practicing soccer team while she was still in shock.

She'd been careless; Itachi had found her once again.

**End Chapter**

A/N: Well, I'm sorry for how short this chapter is. Family bonding left little time for actual writing. But in terms of how the story's progressing, I'd say I'm right on track. Had this chapter been any longer, there would have been a lot of unnecessary, and most likely monotonous, filler.

Honestly, I spent so much time worrying about how the story would progress that I didn't really think much about an ending… I have part of it planned out, but there are still some details I need to consider…

Unfortunately, I'm seriously starting to lose my motivation… I think this will be my last fanfiction. I'll make sure to finish it, but my life is only beginning to get hectic. I don't know how I'll manage it…

Take pity on me and my short chapter! Review, and give me ideas on how to keep this story alive! I do swear that next week's chapter will be longer!

Much love!

-Samara


	11. Aware of the Threat

A/N: Wow! The response for the last chapter was a lot better than I expected! Thanks a lot you guys! And I even acquired a couple new readers, which always improves my mood. :P

Well, I heard a lot about how I characterized Itachi… Ironically enough I really like him too, but Sasuke was too young to be the soccer coach. . Plus, he's Sakura's age so it wouldn't have worked anyway. Itachi was just the first person that came to mind. Sorry everyone, but he _is_ the perfect villain, even if he's not _really_ evil.

And remember, Naruto DOES NOT know everything that happened to Sakura. He only knows PART!

So, I'm guessing that you all want this author's note wrapped up pretty quick so that you can see what happens to Sakura. I'm all too happy to oblige, so let's get started, ne?

**Chapter 11: Aware of the Threat**

The minute she figured out who had her she started to struggle, fighting for all she was worth. She tried to kick at his knees but his legs were spread in such a way that kept him anchored while staying out of range. She tried to smash the back of her head against his face, or neck, or wherever she could get it, but he held her just out of reach to keep her from doing so.

Out of options she bit his hand, screaming at the top of her lungs when it moved even just a little.

Knowing his time was limited if he stayed, he pushed her to the ground and ran for the cover of the school, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a plausible cover story.

She grimaced as she made contact with the concrete, hissing as she felt the tiny rocks cutting into her skin. She heard voices, Naruto's and Neji's distinctively, but their approach did nothing to calm her palpitating heart. Itachi had almost…taken her again…all because of her carelessness…

At least, she assumed it was Itachi… She'd only made eye contact with the man before he turned her around and covered her mouth. Instinctively she knew it was him, but there was just no way she could prove it. He knew that, and so did she…

And because his family ran the police force…Well, that made things all the more complicated on her end.

Without her notice, tears started to stream down her cheeks.

Vaguely, she was aware of approaching voices, but couldn't clearly comprehend who they belonged to at the moment. In fact, she couldn't really comprehend much of anything at the moment. All that was running through her head was an overall sense of panic, her reaction for which she had no control over.

She was so stricken by her fear that when someone tried to help her up off the ground, she violently pulled away, backing up until her back hit one of the brick walls that made up the school building.

"Just step back guys!" She suddenly recognized Naruto's voice in the fog of her mind, and with her fingers rooted deeply in her hair, she whimpered his name.

"Shit!" Naruto swore, watching her helplessly. She was cut up pretty badly from when she was thrown to the ground, more so than she probably realized. "She needs to go to the hospital." He looked to Neji in askance, though he would have taken her regardless of his answer.

The Hyuga had to shake himself out of a stupor, unable to process the sight before him right away. When he snapped back to his senses, he ordered the gathered soccer team to disperse, head home, do whatever, as long as they got out of the area, staying behind with Naruto to try to help the quivering mass that was Sakura Haruno.

"What can I do?" he asked the blonde, gulping in anticipation as he watched the Uzumaki scoop the rosette into his arms.

"Call your uncle," he practically hissed, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. "Tell him to meet us at the hospital. I'll try to get a hold of her mom, but I'm not getting my hopes up." Neji almost swore that the blonde's eyes went red with rage, but quickly determined it was the way the setting sun reflected off of his irises. That fact, however, didn't make Naruto look any less feral. "And make sure your uncle calls Anko. If this is what I think it is, she'll kill us if we don't inform her about what happened."

…

They got her into the hospital relatively quickly. When asked what had happened, Naruto quickly explained that Sakura had been assaulted. That got people moving, and it wasn't long before Sakura was taken away and the Hyuga and Uzumaki were whisked into a waiting room.

The two teens were silent. Naruto was glancing anxiously at the door Sakura disappeared through, while Neji was watching his teammate.

It was like looking at a different person. Never in his life had Neji seen anyone look _that_ furious while simultaneously appearing concerned for someone's wellbeing. He was visibly shaking, his knee bobbing up and down in an effort to channel his energy in a nonviolent way while he wrung his hands nonstop.

He was muttering to himself, but Neji could clearly hear one thing as he repeated it over and over. "I'm done. I quit!" he would softly snarl to himself, and the Hyuga could only guess at what that meant.

Eventually, the curiosity became too much for him.

"What do you mean?"

The sudden question startled Naruto and it visibly showed in the way he jumped at the sound of the captain's voice. "Huh?" he replied less than intelligently.

"What are you quitting?" he repeated, this time an eyebrow quirked.

The blonde glared at him coldly once the question registered. "Why are you worried about that! You should be worried about her!" He gestured sharply to the door, the emotion thick in his voice.

At that, Neji narrowed his eyes. "You think that I'm not?" he hissed dangerously, his silver eyes glinting dangerously. "Of course I'm concerned! Of course I'm worried! But dammit, Uzumaki, this is getting us nowhere! Excuse me for trying to reduce the level of stress in the room!"

The defender seethed for a few moments before he released his anger in one long breath. Resting his elbows on his knees, he buried his face in his hands.

"The team…" he eventually replied. "I'm quitting the team."

The news was shocking to the Hyuga, and it showed clearly on his face. "Wh-What?" he sputtered, his eyes wide at Naruto's admission.

"The team. I'm quitting it," he repeated seriously, sliding his face up out of his hands to look at his captain. "I can't take it anymore, knowing what that bastard did."

The brunette quirked a brow, shaking his head in an effort to clear it. "You mean Coach? What did he do?" He decided not to call the blonde out on his swearing, considering that they were the only two in the waiting room at the moment.

Naruto scoffed condescendingly, chuckling without humor. "Don't tell me you're that stupid. You've been fishing for clues for the past two months; you had to have noticed."

"Say I have. Maybe I want to hear it from you." He had noticed. He noticed the negative reactions that Sakura would have whenever he mentioned Itachi's name in passing. He noticed the wistful look in her eye when the kicked the soccer ball around just a few weeks before. He had even started to notice the way that Naruto would glare at the coach whenever his back was turned. He just didn't know _why_. "What did he do?"

The Uzumaki groaned, massaging his temple. "I told you that she played on the high school team," he told him after a few moments' hesitation. "Really, she was _that_ good. Everyone thought so. But there were…ulterior motives when Itachi recruited her." He brought his thumb to his lips, biting down on it in an effort to relieve some of his tension.

"And they were?" He really couldn't help pressing. It was Naruto's own fault for drawing this out so long.

Naruto withdrew his thumb, finding little comfort in the purple mark left by his teeth. He continued on as if Neji hadn't interjected. "She wasn't getting the playing time she deserved, and she knew it. Every practice, he'd promise her a spot in the next game, only to keep her on the bench when the time came. In the middle of the season, she brought it up to him." He settled for clenching his fists, letting his blunt nails dig into the skin of his palms. "You know what he told her? 'Do me a little favor, and I'll put you in.' She didn't understand at first, and so he clarified it for her." By now his voice was raw with repressed emotion, feelings that had been hidden for years. "Do you get it now? The bastard tried to solicit sex from her! To get what she wanted, she had to give him what _he _wanted."

This was something Neji couldn't believe. It didn't seem like the coach at all, no matter how much Naruto tried to get him to believe it. But, he had to admit, it seemed to explain a lot in the case of a certain colorguard member.

"How do you know that?" he couldn't help asking, unable to keep the skepticism out of his tone. If it had been from Sakura's word alone, he might be inclined to disregard it, though her word was pretty convincing in itself.

"I was there… I was waiting for her to finish practice so we could hang out together," he replied quietly. "We were really close, even then. I'd wait behind the bleachers until she came around. I heard everything."

The Hyuga hadn't expected that, but remained quiet so that Naruto could wrap up his explanation.

"She quit right then and there. She wouldn't say so, but she was afraid of what Itachi might do if she stayed. I told her I'd quit too, so that she wouldn't be by herself, but she wouldn't hear of it." He smiled wryly in remembrance, though that was without any happiness. "She knew how much soccer meant to me; almost as much as it did to her. She wouldn't let me give it up just for her."

The doors suddenly open, a dark-haired nurse stepping through, her gaze locking on the two teens seated in the room. "Oh, you're Miss Haruno's friends, right? Mr. Hyuga and Uzumaki? You can see her now."

In spite of himself, Naruto let out a sigh of relief, rising from his chair quickly. Neji did the same.

The nurse led them to Sakura's room, smiling softly as she listened to the comical sounds of their cleats clicking against the tiles of the hall. "She'll be just fine," she told them, feeling the question lingering in the air. "She needed a few stitches, and she's pretty shaken up, but other than that she's okay to go home."

She turned suddenly, her hand gripping the doorknob and twisting it in one smooth motion. "Miss Haruno, your friends are here to see you." She showed the two boys in, excusing herself immediately afterwards.

They found her quickly, her bright pink hair a stark contrast against the clean, white sheets of her hospital bed. She was staring out the window, her hands resting in her lap. She didn't acknowledge their entrance, and they had to wonder if she even knew they were there.

"Sakura?"

She stiffened when she heard Naruto's voice, but refused to look at either of them, keeping her gaze focused out the window.

"Mr. Hyuga's on his way. So's Anko. We called your mom, but… uh, well…" He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "You okay?"

She shrugged almost imperceptibly, casting her eyes down to her hands. After a moment, she corrected the movement with a shake of the head. "When he pushed me…" she rasped, her eyes squinted as if she were trying to make sense of what happened. "My knee hit the ground pretty hard apparently… My kneecap was fractured… I… I have to quit the guard…"

The door was immediately thrust open, a disbelieving Anko bursting in with a frazzled Hiashi, Hinata, and Hanabi in tow.

"WHAT!"

**End Chapter**

A/N: Well, longer, but still pretty short. You know it's summer when you lose track of the days. . But I really think this is a good chapter.

That "WHAT!" at the end is surprised, but don't take that to mean that all Anko cares about it Sakura's position in the guard. She's also concerned for her wellbeing.

And now the pieces are falling together. Hopefully a lot of you are starting to see the entire picture, and hopefully the rest of you are close to figuring it out. ;P

I really don't have a lot to say at the end of this note…

Please review!

-Samara


	12. What Comes Next

A/N: Hey guys! I'm so happy with the response I've been getting lately! At 69 reviews, you all have really improved my chapter review average. It's much appreciated. Thanks a lot everyone! :)

**Warning: Certain descriptions in this chapter may not be suitable for certain age groups. As such, a warning is being put in place so that readers understand that the content of this chapter is rated M. If you are sensitive to the issue of rape, I would stop reading when the setting switches over to the soccer field. There aren't any details, but I feel I need to put this just to be safe. Thank you.**

Other than that, there's really not a lot I have to say. Oh! Actually, my birthday is this Thursday. (How sad is it that I keep forgetting that?) I'll be eighteen, and I still won't have my driver's license! xD Oh well. I really don't mind all that much.

Let's get on with this little exchange, shall we? ;)

**Chapter 12: What Comes Next**

She really didn't seem all that surprised when Anko and the Hyugas arrived. Other than dipping her head a little more in shame, she showed little reaction to their presence, instead repeating what she had just told Neji and Naruto.

"When I fell…I fractured my knee cap. I can't straighten and lock my right leg anymore, so I have to quit…" she murmured forlornly, her fingers gripping the bed sheets tightly. "I-I'm sorry…"

"What are you apologizing for?" Anko growled, storming up to the bed. She pulled a chair along with her with surprising force, seating herself at the bedside as she tried to stamp out her mounting irritation. "You got hurt. That's not your fault. Just tell me it was that bastard of a soccer coach and I'll make sure he pays!"

"Anko, calm down," Hiashi chided disapprovingly. He turned his understanding gaze on the poor girl lying in the bed. "Do you feel comfortable telling us what happened?" he asked her, trying to determine if the others would need to be sent out of the room. The second the words left his lips, Hinata started to usher Hanabi out of the room, much to the youngest Hyuga's protest. Unfortunately, his nephew and the Uzumaki wouldn't be so easily convinced to leave the Haruno's side…

She opened her mouth to relay her thoughts, but no sound would escape her throat. To keep from gaping like a fish, she slowly let it close, casting a helpless glance in Naruto and Neji's direction. That told Hiashi all he needed to know.

"Boys," he stated sharply, successfully drawing their attention from the prone girl. "A moment, please." Seeing that they were ready to argue he held up his hand, effectively silencing them. "Just a moment. I will be brief." Despite the fact that his assurance was politely stated, there was a tone underneath it belying his seriousness. He made a sound in the back of his throat, almost a "Hn…", when they finally made a move to follow Hinata. He said nothing more until the door clicked shut behind them.

"Sakura, what happened?" Anko asked her, gently grabbing her hand and squeezing it reassuringly. "Was it Itachi?"

She opened her mouth again, and they could tell that she wanted to talk, but something was keeping her from voicing the words that were clearly running through her head. "I…I don't know…" she eventually choked out, her hair sweeping back and forth as she shook her head. "I mean… I _know_, but… but I didn't…I didn't _see_…"

Anko cursed under her breath, looking to the Hyuga patriarch questioningly. "Can we do _anything_ with that?"

The lawyer shook his head, his brows furrowed in frustration. "No… Even it was him, you forget that the Uchiha family runs the police force. They'd never charge one of their own with such a crime unless the evidence was unquestionable, and in this case there is a lot of reasonable doubt…" He sighed. "Even so, the incident has been called in and they're investigating. With any luck, we'll have something to work with."

…

Anko checked her out of the hospital and drove Sakura home, entering the house with her to make sure her mother wouldn't overreact like she tended to do. The orchid-haired woman assisted the rosette with her hospital grade crutches, helping her to her room before finally leaving for her flat for the night.

She was surprised, to say the least, when Sakura actually showed up to practice the next night. It was Friday, meaning it was a full band rehearsal. They were currently trying to figure out how they were going to rewrite the show to make up for Sakura's absence.

"Sakura? What are you doing here?" she asked as the injured girl hobbled to the sidelines of the practice field. She had been talking with the other instructors when Iruka pointed out Sakura's presence. "Shouldn't you be at home? How'd you even get here?"

"I asked Temari to bring me with her," she replied, panting from the exertion of getting around on crutches. It certainly didn't help that her underarms and palms were killing her… "I can't just stop coming…"

"Sakura, Anko's right," Kakashi chided gently. "You should be at home resting."

"Not that it isn't good to see you're still supporting us," Iruka quickly amended. "We've had a lot of girls that never came back after an injury…"

Her eyes hardened at their attempt to get rid of her. "But…home is the last place I want to be…" Her mother was making her feel as if her injury was her own fault, that she'd deserved it. It was unbearable.

"I'll take her somewhere."

Their heads all snapped to the direction of the new arrival's voice, finding it to be Neji. He was strolling up to them casually, his hands in his pockets.

Anko quirked an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. "The idea is for her to rest, Hyuga," she informed him, as if he didn't know. "Not to gallivant across the town with a soccer jock."

He chuckled. "And here I thought you were starting to warm up to me," he told her with pseudo-disappointment. "Relax, Mitarashi. I'll be careful."

He heard Sakura chuckle. "Who says I want to go anywhere with you?"

He shrugged, smirking in amusement. He held out a hand to her, gesturing off the field. "Come on, Gimpy. You're only hurting yourself by looking at something you can't have."

She bid her instructors a quick goodbye, waving to her friends that were at rest on the field, before awkwardly making her way to the Hyuga. He made sure to give her ample room to move with her crutches, careful not to accidentally get in her way.

"So…Gimpy?" she asked him tersely, her expression close to one of amusement but bordering more on annoyed.

He chuckled again.

"My injury is funny to you Neji?" At her serious tone, he quickly quieted himself. He suddenly found himself feeling bad that he ever thought anything about this current situation was funny. He said nothing more until they were in the parking lot, where he helped her into the passenger side of his car. Chivalrously, he placed her crutches in the back so that they wouldn't be in her way.

Starting the car, he pulled out of the school parking lot and just drove, no particular destination in mind. Neither of them said anything for the longest time. Every once in awhile, Neji would spare a glance Sakura's way only to find her looking out the window with a vacant expression on her face. Her silence was driving him mad, but just as he was about to say something she spoke.

"Where are you taking me?" The question was simple, but the emotionless tone in which she asked it unnerved him.

He decided, after a moment of thought, to answer her honestly. "I'm not sure."

Not in the least bit phased by his reply, she hummed thoughtfully to herself, her fingers fiddling with the black brace around her knee.

"Why? Is there anywhere in particular you want to go?"

After a long pause, he started to think she wasn't going to answer, in which case he would just continue to aimlessly drive until an idea hit him. But then…

"…Can we go to the soccer field?"

Other than her own house, that was the last place he expected her to say. It was clear to him now that that place had nothing but bad memories for her, so the desire to actually get so close to something negative from her past puzzled him. But who was he to question her?

At the next possible opportunity he changed direction and drove back towards the school. He wished she might've said something about going there earlier, considering the field was on the school's campus, but he didn't think it appropriate to make her feel guilty for such a thing. If that was where she wanted to go, he'd take her there, simple as that.

Soon enough, he was helping her out of the car, handing her her crutches, and helping her to the stands. He assumed that she'd want to sit down right away, but instead she just stood there, looking out at the empty field. No one was around, so she could do whatever she wanted, and she took full advantage of that fact in her own way. He stood beside her, trying to see whatever held her interest. When he determined that it was something that went beyond his comprehension, he looked at her, using his talent to read peoples' facial expressions as a way to understand what they were thinking.

Hers was eerily blank.

"What will I do now?"

Her desperate inquiry snapped him back to attention, but he was at a loss of how to answer her.

"What do you mean?"

Cloudy emerald eyes, eyes that once held such ferocity, cut to the side to meet his curious silver gaze. In that glance he saw so many things. He saw hopelessness. He saw desperation. He saw a dying will. He saw a girl that had so many things stripped from her, all because of something that was out of her control. He saw just how tired, how _defeated_ she was, and it made him nauseous.

"After soccer, I didn't think I could do anything else…" she admitted, casting her eyes to the turf below her feet. "I thought…that I had nothing… Everything fell apart."

She didn't need to go into specific details. Four years ago; when she had to quit the soccer team for unconfirmed reasons, when her dad left her and her mother behind, when her mother started her reign of abusive terror. It was easy to see that she believed everything was connected to that one act…

"But then…Anko found me." He waited patiently for her to explain. "I remember staying after school because I was afraid to go home… I wandered up to the high school and somehow found myself in the band room… I was scared…for other reasons…and so I was curled up in a ball in the corner." Her recounting was told in almost a whisper, so much so that he moved closer just to be able to hear her.

"I didn't even know the colorguard existed, much less that they practiced in the band room… I decided to hide in there on one of the Tuesday or Thursday practices…I don't remember which one." Carefully keeping her balance, Sakura removed one of her hands from the palm rest so that she could brush a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. "Back then, Anko actually showed up early to practice…" she murmured, a ghost of a smile flickering on her lips before fading away completely. "She saw me in the corner, and got me to tell her what I was doing there. She…was so easy to talk to…Somehow, with her there, I felt protected. After awhile, I couldn't help telling her everything… I felt like I could trust her with what happened.

"She was the first person in a long time that seemed to really care… She urged me to practice with the guard, to give me something to do so that I wouldn't have to always be at home. And when she finally learned everything that happened to me…I'd never seen someone get so angry… My mother acted like everything was my fault…My dad didn't stick around long enough for me to figure out how he felt… It was refreshing."

At that he found himself lost in her explanation. Something didn't add up with what information he had on the subject. "All this happened because you quit for being sexually harassed?"

Her head snapped to face him so quickly that he would swear he heard her neck crack. Her eyes were open wide, her mouth open in disbelief, and he understood that he had just inadvertently sold out a certain blonde…

He saw the gears in her head turning as she figured out what his knowing meant, and he didn't miss that small tear run down her cheek. He had to fight the urge to wipe it away, knowing that at that moment she would try to slap it away at the risk of her balance.

The Haruno managed a quick recovery, her eyes narrowing into harsh forest green slits. "It wasn't just sexual harassment," she eventually hissed. She clenched her eyes shut, knowing that for him to understand her situation fully for what it was, he would have to know the truth. It was the last thing she wanted to do. She had no desire to tell him, but dammit he was persistent! And thanks to Naruto, he would continue sticking his nose where it didn't belong until she did. Opening her eyes, she stated, "I assume Naruto told you what he overheard?"

The Hyuga could tell that he was treading on dangerous ground at this point, but he pulled off a stoic nod in spite of the near palpable rage he could feel rolling off of Sakura in waves.

"If you think he knows everything that happened, you're horribly disillusioned…" she bit out, maneuvering herself so that her back was to him. Even still, she could feel his quicksilver gaze burning into her back. "I thought that after I refused him…_Itachi_…I thought that would be the end of it… I was naïve…" She rolled her shoulders in an effort to relieve some of the pressure on her underarms, hissing slightly when it didn't help. Her voice was starting to waver in a way that made her want to kick herself. "A few days after his _offer…_ I was supposed to stay after school to make up a test I'd missed for being sick… The junior high was pretty much empty by the time I had finished. Before I could pull out my phone to call my father…someone grabbed me and dragged me into the assistant coach's office in the back of the school…

"I was gagged…" She nearly choked on the word. "So that no one…no one could hear me scream…" Neji could hear her breath shuddering. "He...pinned my arms down above my head…so that I…I couldn't struggle…" His own breath hitched at what she was implying. "He…ripped off my skirt…"

"S-Stop…" He couldn't hear this anymore. He couldn't let her continue on. Couldn't believe that _Itachi_, his coach, of _all people_… "Stop it!" He saw her flinch at his order, at his desperate attempt to quiet her confession.

But she wouldn't be deterred. The secret had been kept for too long. It was long overdue for being exposed…

"Itachi Uchiha…He raped me…"

It was like a blow to the gut. The wind was nearly knocked out of him. Then, suddenly, he was numb. Vaguely he was aware that Sakura had been reduced to heart wrenching sobs, but he was in no condition to do anything about it. This bomb she had dropped on him… He almost couldn't believe it… In fact, he was going to continue to deny everything, tell her she was a liar, do anything but actually _listen_ and _take to heart_ what she had said.

But then…everything suddenly made sense. There was no way that she would lie about something of that magnitude. No way that his uncle, whom he was certain was in on the whole thing, would play along with such a charade.

It was ridiculous to think that she had suffered through all that she had because of anything less.

Thinking that he was going to reject her confession, and her by association, Sakura tried to start hobbling away, determined to get out of his range before he could accuse her of being a liar, or a slut like her mother claimed. She wouldn't be able to take it if he did…

But before she could even move the crutches, she felt his arms slip around her waist, pulling her close to him. Her eyes widened in confusion, her crutches falling to the ground with a clamor, when he gently turned her to face him, bringing his hand up to cradle her head as she buried her face in his shirt.

She hadn't thought it possible, but she started to cry even harder, whether in relief that he actually believed her or in a release of everything she was feeling at the moment, she wasn't sure. She speculated that it might be a large amount of both.

And despite the fear that Itachi was coming after her again, something that had hit her full force since his assault of her person the night before, she couldn't deny that in Neji Hyuga's arms, she felt safe.

It was then that she came to a startling discovery. She wasn't sure why, she wasn't sure how, but somehow she'd gone from hating his guts to a civil toleration, to a blossoming friendship. If that wasn't surprising enough, because now that she thought about the transition it was an incredibly unlikely occurrence, she gone one step farther. She found herself falling in love with Neji…

**End Chapter**

A/N: Whew! Looks like I cut it close with this update! And I got it over 3000 words this time! Yay!

I actually really like how this chapter turned out. :3 Sakura finally told him what really happened to her, and now we get to start dealing with the consequences.

On another note, this is the twelfth chapter. O.o I can't believe I'm up to twelve already. At this rate, I'm thinking that my story might end at twenty chapters. I'm not really sure yet. It's not going to be much longer though.

Please review and tell me what you think! I want to know if you're as happy with this chapter as I am. And I wouldn't mind a few Birthday Reviews. ;)

Much love!

-Samara


	13. Protecting Her

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm finally back! Sorry for the long wait, but thank you for understanding. I'm officially done with driving school and my in-cars, so this month will be open. With any luck, I'll wrap this story up before I leave for college.

Oh! I just realized that I forgot about Deidara's habit of saying "yeah"… Luckily, he hasn't really spoken much, so I guess it can be overlooked. But I'll make sure to start inserting them from here on out!

On another note, last chapter got me more reviews than I've ever gotten for a chapter of this story. Thank you so much! I really appreciate the support, and I'm glad that it seemed to stir such reactions in those that read it.

And finally, Happy Fourth of July everyone! Contrary to what my friends might think, I'm proud to be an American. ;P

So, let's stop delaying what you've all been waiting for. Let's get on with the chapter!

**Chapter 13: Protecting Her**

"Man, I still can't believe it," Deidara stated, placing Sakura's lunch tray and class materials down in her spot for her.

It was Monday, the week following her incident. No one really knew what happened because Sakura wouldn't tell them much, but most everyone was sympathetic. They knew how much being in the guard meant to her, and now suddenly she was left with nothing.

And it seemed like she hadn't made a mistake in revealing her past to a certain Neji Hyuga. No one had approached her about anything Itachi related, meaning he hadn't gone and blabbed her secret. Not that she had expected him to.

On the flip side, he really had said anything to her. At most, he'd asked curt questions about assignments in class. There wasn't a peep about anything personal, and she wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or anxious about that…

"I mean, if I couldn't play my guitar, I don't think I'd be able to survive, yeah," the blonde continued, circling the table to take his seat next to Sasori. They were still waiting on their other tablemates. "It sucks. How do you deal?"

Sakura shrugged, taking Sai's usual seat so that she could prop her crutches against the end of the table. Obviously she was still pretty upset about not being able to go to practices anymore, but she tried to be patient with Deidara. She was, however, quite thankful when Sasori elbowed him in the ribs to get him to change the subject.

"Ow! Oi! What was that for?"

"You were probably saying something stupid," Ino supplied, setting her designer bag down on the ground as she strode up to the group. She shot her pink-haired friend a sympathetic smile as she took her seat, reaching without looking to pull her packed lunch out of her purse. "Hey, Forehead. How you holding up?"

Sakura sighed, making a poor attempt at a smile. "Okay, I guess," she replied. She really didn't know how to respond to any of their questions. Like Neji, she hadn't spoken much to anyone. When asked about how she was feeling, or about anything at all, she responded in few words before going completely quiet.

Everyone knew she was lying on account of the fact that she wasn't eating anything. And her short replies weren't easing their worries any.

Ino huffed, trying to think of a way to cheer up her friend as she pulled her foodstuffs from the paper bag. "Uh… Oh! You wouldn't believe what happened before the competition this weekend!" she declared out of the blue, as if the rosette was still included in the guard. "We were practicing outside, right? And Hana was bitching because she thought she should've been the one to fill your block spot." She rolled her eyes at the girl's nerve, even though it was two days later. "Well, of course it was really windy, but Iruka had us throwing tosses into the air like always. And what happens when Hana goes to toss her flag? It catches in the wind and smacks her in the face!" For effect she pounded her fist into her open palm, roaring with laughter as she did so. "Bam!"

"Oh right!" Deidara exclaimed. "That explains that huge bump on her forehead, yeah!" He started cackling, Sasori chuckling to himself. "Man, it was almost like a third eye, but all purple! _That's_ how it happened?"

To their immense relief, Sakura managed to crack a genuine smile, even going so far as to let out a small bark of laughter.

"Yeah!" Ino continued. "It was classic!"

"What was?" Naruto strolled up to the table with Sai, forcing the trumpet player to sit on his other side so that he could sit next to Sakura.

The blonde girl rolled her eyes, finally getting her laughter to die down a little. "Hana being an idiot as usual. Karma just caught up to her this time."

"Oh, are you talking about when the flag hit her in the face?" Hinata had just arrived, catching the tail-end of Ino's story, giggling into her sleeve as she sat down. "I know she really got hurt…but it _was_ pretty funny…"

Sakura groaned. "Why couldn't this have happened when I was actually there?" Her friends were extremely thankful that Ino's story seemed to lift her spirits. "After all the crap that she's given me this year…"

Ino waved her hands to get the rosette's attention again. "That wasn't even the best part," she stated. "Get this. So Kimiko is freaking out, right? Hana's wailing like a baby. Iruka's ranting about how they need to keep their eyes on the flag. The whole schtick." She grinned even wider. "Wouldn't you know it, Kakashi comes back from wherever he wandered off to, takes one look at Hana who by that time has a bruise the color of a plum, and tells her that he was glad to see she finally found a sense of color coordination! It was great! It was the exact same shade as the purple velvet on our costumes!"

"Too bad we only placed fifth out of eight bands," Sai threw in, earning himself four separate sets of glares. "It would've been a perfect night for you."

At the trumpeter's statement, Sakura blanched ever so slightly. He caught this and fixed her with a blank look. "Had you been able to perform, we might've placed third or second." He smiled, though everyone could tell it was fake, in an unsuccessful effort to take the bite of accusation out of his comment.

"Sai, just shut up…"

The inky-haired band kid turned his attention to Naruto, almost in surprise. He quickly hid it beneath that fake smile of his and continued on, ignoring the way the blonde had growled out the warning. "I mean, if you weren't such a klutz, we might stand a chance to make it to finals come the national competition."

"That's not fair Sai!" Ino's mood did a complete one-eighty, her icy blue eyes glimmering furiously. "It's not like Sakura's the only one on the team!"

Hinata nodded in agreement, casting a concerned glance Sakura's way. She frowned when she saw that the rosette's head was bowed in a shame that she didn't deserve to have placed upon her. "Ino's right, Sai," she murmured. "There are still nine of us…"

"Then it seems we've reached an understanding." At the questioning looks of those in guard and soccer, Sai sighed and explained. "You've been relying on Sakura to carry the show for way too long. Start pulling your own weight. Because, as you've just said, she wasn't the only one on the team."

Sasori hummed in agreement. "He's right." He folded his arms on the table, leaning forward to lock eyes with the Haruno. "Stop beating yourself up. As a team, it's their responsibility to pick up the slack. You got hurt. They should be able to handle it." He directed a pointed look Ino and Hinata's way, smirking when he saw them flinch. "Although, Sai's approach was a bit…"

"Blunt, yeah?"

Sai shrugged, biting into his sandwich.

Once that was out of the way, the atmosphere relaxed almost completely. Almost. Sakura had gone quiet, becoming slightly introverted so that she could reflect on her thoughts.

It was weird, she decided. People were treating her a lot differently now that she was hurt. There was a lot more regard for her feelings, she noticed. Everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around her. Naruto didn't seem to know what to say, so he'd been quiet ever since she'd left the hospital. And Neji…

Well, honestly, she didn't really know what to expect from him. She wasn't sure what she should be feeling in regards to the fact that he didn't seem to want to talk to her. After dropping her off at home Friday night, she hadn't heard a word from him at all over the weekend. No. Instead, she was stuck with her mother…

As if thinking she could determine his thoughts, she stole a glance down the cafeteria, sighting his head of well-kept chocolate locks a few tables over. To her surprise, he didn't seem to be talking to his teammates either, despite their best attempts to get him to join in the conversation.

Before she knew it, lunch was over. She hadn't touched her food, but to be honest she really didn't have much of an appetite. She quietly thanked Sasori when he took her tray for her, and was relieved when no one asked her any questions about why she hadn't eaten. She was surprised, however, when Sai walked back to her and handed her her crutches, grabbing her books from the table and tucking them under his arm.

He must have noticed her bewildered expression for he smiled, in that way of his, and gestured for her to lead the way. A quick glance around the lunch table told her that everyone else had quickly made themselves scarce.

"Come on, hag," he teased, stepping back to allow her space to move. "We have to leave now if you want to have any hope of making it to your next class."

Too stunned to argue, she slid her crutches under her arms and lifted herself from the table, hobbling out of the cafeteria with her unpredictable classmate in tow. They were in the back of the mob of students exiting the cafeteria but Sai didn't look like he cared too much.

"Sorry for calling you a klutz earlier." His apology was so unexpected and so uncharacteristic of him that Sakura didn't believe that it came out of his mouth at first. "Everyone knows you're not." She didn't say anything so he continued on. "That's why everyone knows that you didn't slip and fall like you said."

He watched her reaction carefully, blowing a stream of air out of his mouth when he saw that she wasn't affected by his comment. "We're worried about you, you know?"

She hummed, nodding to herself at his question.

"You should listen to Sasori," he added quietly. "You weren't the only one in the guard. They'll manage without you. It'll be hard, at first, but they'll be better for it. And so will you."

The crowd of students was finally beginning to thin out, giving Sakura and Sai the opportunity to get through the halls with as much ease as could be expected.

"Sakura."

The two friends stopped, looking over their shoulders to find Neji approaching at his leisure. He nodded an acknowledgment Sai's way, extending a hand so that he could relieve him of Sakura's books. "I'll take it from here," he told the trumpet player coolly. At Sai's skeptical glance, Neji rolled his silver eyes. "I have the next class with her."

Still, Sai wasn't convinced and looked to Sakura questioningly. He nodded and left them only when she nodded in turn, bidding her a good day.

Now with only Neji left to escort her back to class, she forged ahead, her lips pursed in her displeasure. He followed silently behind, just watching her move.

He'd done a lot of thinking over the past few days. About soccer. About Naruto. About Itachi. About Sakura…

At first he was angry.

He was bitter at Sakura for seemingly trying to turn him against something he had a passion for. For being the reason that Naruto left the team. For making him _care _so damn much. Just thinking about what she'd told him made him want to beat Itachi into a bloody, unrecognizable pulp.

He was irritated that he'd trusted her so easily, but he couldn't bring himself to completely regret it. He'd already admitted to himself that he liked her weeks before. Maybe…the extent to which she trusted him meant that she felt the same way. Or at least similar. But she was vulnerable, and he didn't want to look like a dick for asking her out at the moment. That was another source of his frustration.

Not to mention that Hinata and Hanabi wouldn't stop badgering him over the details in Sakura's past. Of course his uncle wouldn't tell them anything, and they were too nervous to actually ask Sakura themselves. He had to lie and tell them that he didn't know anything, but because they were such shrew teenage girls, and such great friends with the rosette, they didn't believe him for a second…

He'd also made the decision to stay on the soccer team for the time being, to keep a critical eye on Itachi if nothing else.

So yeah, he'd been angry.

"Are…you mad at me or something?" Her quiet voice startled him from his thoughts, and he came to the sudden realization that his brows were scrunched up in a way that made him look pissed off at the world.

But that was the thing. He wasn't angry anymore.

"No. No I'm not," he eventually replied, sighing as the clinking of her crutches reminded him of just why he couldn't be mad at her. It wasn't her fault. But he could finally accept whose fault it was… "I'm mad that you have to live this way."

"What way?" she asked softly. The bell had rung just moments ago, leaving them alone in the hallway.

"In fear." He stepped in front of her, blocking her way. Their classroom was just a few doors down, but he knew they could take a couple moments before Tsunade counted them tardy.

His answer stunned her, as did the way he positioned himself so that she couldn't continue forward. Her slightly wide emerald eyes locked with his intense quicksilver gaze for a brief moment before she had to look away, flushing in embarrassment.

"You shouldn't have to be afraid all the time," he softly asserted, leaning forward slightly. He was so close that the action had their noses nearly touching, and his warm breath ghosted over her lips.

To hell with taking advantage… He had to know!

"Let me protect you."

Before she could ask him what he meant, he pressed his lips to hers. There was nothing to it, really, just a light brush. He didn't want to scare her even more. He couldn't bear it if she was afraid of him too… It was over just as quickly as it began. Hesitantly, he pulled away and took in her expression, wincing when he saw that she appeared to be in shock.

"Sorry… That was…a bit forward." Sheepishly he rubbed the back of his neck, attempting a reassuring smile. Clearing his throat, he turned around and started to head back down the hall. "We should go. Orohime's probably pitching a fit." Really, he didn't want to face her rejection…

He was about halfway to the door, but he didn't hear her following him. Concerned, he forced himself to man up and glance back at her, hoping she was alright. He found her standing in the very same spot that he'd left her, staring intently at the checkered tiles of the hallway floor.

She spoke as soon as his eyes landed on her face.

"Did…Did you mean it?" she inquired timidly, shuffling forward just a bit. It was an odd sight for him to see the normally fiery Haruno look so tame.

He sighed, his lips quirking up slightly at the corners. "Yeah… I did."

Her face flushed at his admission, the shade nearly matching the hue of her hair.

Taking her reaction as a good sign, he turned back around to face her fully. "Will you…let me protect you Sakura?" He felt stupid for asking such a thing, knowing that if anyone like Sasuke heard him ask he'd accuse him of going soft. But… Somehow it felt right. And not in the least bit cheesy.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mouth refused to produce words, of the understandable kind at least, and so she gave him her answer with a slow nod of her head. She just couldn't give him an answer in any other way.

The Hyuga released a breath he wasn't aware that he was holding, returning to the rosette's side with a warm expression on his face. It was…a relief, he decided. And yet, relief didn't seem a big enough word to cover what he was feeling. It felt like there was so much more to be said about it, and yet it was completely and utterly indescribable.

When they finally made it into the anatomy classroom Tsunade allowed them in without so much as a word. She understood the situation and simply gestured for them to take their respective seats as she went on to explain the idea of the day's lesson.

As Neji helped Sakura to her seat in the back of the classroom, placing her books on her desk and setting her crutches to the side, he felt the blonde woman's hazel eyes on him but made a point to ignore them. When he looked up, she was quick to look at something else. Even still, as he himself finally sat down at his desk in the middle of the room, he could've sworn he caught her looking from him to the Haruno with a knowing expression.

**End Chapter**

A/N: So, done with this chapter! Yes! Hopefully I can keep myself on schedule until I finish it up. I'm thinking I might only do a handful of chapters. I'll probably end it in a similar way that I ended "Insanity: Such a Relative Term" if anyone read that. I'm not sure yet.

Please review! I'd love it if you did! I'm sorry that I took so long to get this to you guys!

Much love!

-Samara


	14. Making a Plan

A/N: Hey everyone! Looks like I'm back to my normal update schedule, which is a relief! Thanks so much for the reviews. I really do appreciate every single one I get.

Now, I have a question, just out of curiosity. Is anyone reading this currently waiting for AP scores to come in? I know I'm going nuts waiting for mine. Hopefully I got a high enough score to count for credit in college. Fingers crossed!

Now that that's out of the way, I say we move on to what you're really here for; the next chapter! Enjoy!

**Chapter 14: Making a Plan**

A month had passed since Neji made his intentions clear to Sakura. It was shaky at first, not to mention almost awkward in the first couple weeks, but eventually the rosette started to relax around him. And, she was finally cleared to stop using her crutches, much to her immense reprieve.

The soccer season had ended soon after they started dating, at which point Neji was extremely relieved and grateful. He hadn't been able to bring himself to quit like Naruto had, and so seeing Itachi at every practice had him grinding his teeth to keep from launching himself at the raven haired man. He knew that Sakura never wanted him to quit either; she had been absolutely furious when she found out that Naruto had left the team because of her. But still, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty for refusing to give it up.

He'd taken to sitting with her at her table during lunch. Right between Deidara and Ino. He supposed it could've been worse; they could've not let him sit with them at all. Plus, Naruto switched seats with Sakura so that Neji could sit across from her. There was never a boring moment. And they were surprisingly very welcoming.

At least they were after Sakura threatened them into being nice.

"So the national competition is this weekend!" Ino squealed, practically giddy with excitement. "I can't wait!"

"Really, yeah?" Deidara scoffed, rolling his eyes. "We never would've guessed."

Sasori hummed, rolling his eyes. He shared humored smirks with everyone around the table. "Wait until we're on the bus," he sighed with dread. "All we'll hear about is how much she hates the national competition."

Neji quirked a brow, looking down the table so he could have a clear conversation with the redhead. "Is it that bad?" Sasori had garnered the Hyuga's respect over the past month. He was quiet, usually, but obviously very intelligent. Plus, he had to deal with having Deidara as a best friend and Naruto as a tablemate…

Sai scoffed, drumming his fingers against the table. "A six hour bus ride to the Land of Snow. Think about it for a second." He paused, allowing the general information sink in. "Three charter buses filled with a mix of band sections. Not to mention Freshmen. It'll be a long weekend."

All those not involved in the conversation were chortling to themselves at the look of irritation on Ino's face.

By now, Sakura was comfortable talking about band functions. She missed it, for sure, but that didn't mean she still couldn't laugh at her friends' expenses, or stay in the loop. Taking the opportunity for the former, she sneered at the blonde guard girl. "Who're you rooming with in Yuki again, Pig?"

It took only a moment for the Yamanaka's eyes to flash with her barely contained fury, her fists clenching and shaking so that she wouldn't screech her displeasure for all of the school to hear. "…Hana…and Kimiko…" she snarled quietly, cursing Tazuna for his decision in the rooming assignments.

Hinata patted her arm sympathetically. "It'll be alright, Ino," she assured her teammate hopefully. "I mean, how bad could it be?" Even as she said it, even she didn't really believe it.

Ino groaned, her good mood gone, and bashed her head against the table.

Yes, Neji decided, having lunch with Sakura and her friends was never boring. It was nice to see her back in her element, even if it was only temporary. When she was around her friends it was like nothing bad had ever happened to her. Like she was still…_innocent_…

Well, not exactly innocent. She was a far cry from the pre-teen girl who knew little of the world and its horrid workings. She knew what evil lurked out in even the supposedly safest of places, but she was strong enough to look past it, if even for a moment. It was something he'd come to respect in her, despite the fact that he wished she never would have had to learn such a harsh lesson.

He chanced a glance her way, just taking the opportunity to watch her interact with her friends. She would be returning with him to the Hyuga manor after school that afternoon. His uncle had wanted to arrange a meeting with her to discuss how things were falling into place with her custody case.

He couldn't help clenching his fists as he thought about how complicated it was. He didn't think it would be so difficult to prove that she was being abused by her drunken mother. It was borderline impossible to get any solid evidence, considering the woman hadn't raised a hand against her daughter in nearly over two months.

Rika Haruno was a piece of work, no doubt about it. It was challenging at first to get Sakura to tell him about her home life, to keep him informed, but when she finally did he couldn't help pulling her into his arms and stroking her hair in an effort to comfort her. Sure, she hadn't been crying or anything, but she didn't seem to mind and neither did he.

Over the past month, while Hiashi was gathering his information on the abusive mother, Mrs. Haruno had been trying out a variety of different methods to keep her daughter from leaving her. It was so insane that Neji was amazed that his girlfriend wasn't broken from the sheer force of being so violently jerked around by her emotions.

The first attempt was buying her love. As an apology for her actions, Rika took, or forced, depending on who recounted the venture, Sakura out shopping for expensive clothes and jewelry, never mind the fact that her daughter knew what she was doing and wanted no part of it.

This was followed by outings to Rika's favorite bars, where she tried to loosen her daughter up with alcoholic beverages. Again, something she wanted no part of. When she first told him of that incident, Neji didn't relax until she told him she dumped out every single drink when her mother wasn't looking.

When it was clear to her mother that this method wasn't working, she moved on to another one; threats of violence. Not to Sakura, thank the gods, but to herself. That one he heard over the phone with Sakura in hysterics. Apparently the elder Haruno had threatened to kill herself should Sakura ever leave her. It had Sakura so worked up that she tried to call the whole custody battle off, but Hiashi persuaded her to remain strong and ignore these threats the best she could.

Clearly this was not the best advice he'd ever given someone, but he assured her that he would ensure that her mother would do no such thing, and that seemed to calm her enough to let the case continue.

And so that was Rika Haruno's strategy for keeping her daughter at her side. Being a friend instead of a mother, or being a suicidal nutcase that had her child bursting into tears.

Neji knew that had it been him, he wouldn't have been strong enough to handle it. And so he respected his girlfriend even more, for he had no idea how she could continue to do what he never would be able to.

…

"As you know, we seem to have reached a standstill in the case." The elder Hyuga massaged his temple, trying in vain to get rid of the ache behind his skull. "Without proof, there's nothing we can do. All we have is your word against hers, and quite frankly we'd only be hurting our case without evidence of the abuse you've suffered."

"…Well, what about witnesses?" she timidly asked. "What if people were around when she…was…" She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. It was something she never could complete, despite the couple months she'd spent working with her best friend's father.

It was only her and the Hyuga patriarch sitting in his study back at the Hyuga manor. Usually, Anko would be present for the meetings, but considering that the band was leaving for their national competition within the hour, she couldn't attend for obvious reasons.

Hiashi quirked a brow at her inquiry, regarding her through the spaces between his fingers. He sighed heavily, clearly stressed out from watching his case hit a dead end. "Again, it's a touchy subject. It's considered evidence that can be argued back and forth, explained away by circumstance. More trouble than it's worth."

Sakura fiddled with the brace around her knee, hoping that the small action would give her the answers they needed. One thing came to mind, but she wasn't sure if Hiashi would go for it.

"What if…What if I had a recording?"

"How do you mean, exactly?" This was certainly interesting, he had to admit.

"Well…" She tensed up, pausing as she thought over the merits of such a plan. When she realized that they had no other clear options available to them, she pushed through her hesitancy and dished out her explanation. "I have Neji's number…on speed dial," she sheepishly admitted, a blush rising to her cheeks as she considered what Hiashi might think on that account. "Honestly, I'm expecting Mother to snap again soon… Kind of a calm before the storm sort of deal… When it happens…I can dial the number on my phone. It could go to voicemail, and…we'd have what we need…"

The lawyer considered her idea for a moment, humming to himself as he came to a decision. "It seems it's the only way we can get our evidence…" he eventually relented. He rested his hands on his desk, clasping them before him. "I'll make sure to take my nephew's phone. The chance that he could actually answer when it happens is too high for us to risk. We _need_ the voicemail." When she nodded her understanding he pressed on. "If you feel the need to talk to my nephew, just call the manor." At that his lips quirked up ever so slightly in amusement. "After all, you're usually with him when he's not here as it is."

He chuckled in an almost fatherly way when he noticed Sakura's cheeks darken a bit more. He smiled kindly at her when despite her embarrassment she managed to look him in the eye and nod her understanding.

"Excellent. Well, I suppose that concludes this meeting." He clapped his hands together before pressing them against the surface of his desk to support his weight as he stood.

Sakura did the same, feeling a bit tense now that they had a plan in place. It was only a matter of time before they got what they needed. It was only a matter of time before she was safely out of her mother's suffocating grasp. But strangely, it left her with a feeling of dread.

She ignored that feeling and made a move towards the door, only to be stopped by Hiashi's voice once again.

"Oh, I almost forgot." She could visualize him rolling his eyes even though her back was turned. Slowly, she faced him, cocking her head to the side in curiosity.

"Hm?"

"I received a call this morning from the Uchiha Police Department. It seems they finally got around to viewing the footage from the security cameras at the school." She could see the smirk slide easily onto place on the older Hyuga's face, and knew instantly that it must have been an inherited trait; Neji's was _far_ too similar… "There's no doubt about it; your assailant was in fact Itachi Uchiha. The timing of your assault and his escape into the building was perfectly aligned, and the footage was so clear that not even the station's head could deny it. We can easily get him on an assault charge, which, despite the hindrance of the double jeopardy ruling, when coupled with your past history with the man, can easily get him twenty years."

The sudden news had her almost in shock, something that Hiashi expected. What he didn't expect was for her to fling herself across the room and into his arms, crying her relief into the shirt of the only person she could call a father-figure.

He had done so much for her. She could only hope that his efforts wouldn't be wasted when the moment of truth came rolling around.

**End Chapter**

A/N: Hm… A little short, but that's okay. So, Itachi's going to prison for assault. Yay! And we'll be making some progress on the abusive mother front.

I will say that I do have some real life inspiration for the abusive mother aspect. It's not me, so none of you worry about that, but it is my cousin. She's almost sixteen, and while her mother has never been physical with her, almost everything I've put into this story on that front actually happened. If anyone has any advice on a way to help her, I would love to hear it. Unfortunately, when I write the solution in my story, it's admittedly a bit idealistic. A thread of suicide cannot be ignored, and I apologize if I seemed to brush it off in this chapter. But do know that this part of my story really hits close to home.

Any advice would be appreciated. I know that she only has two years before she's an adult, but truly two years is a long time when it's spent living in hell. She needs an out, and she needs it soon.

Hehe, sorry about that. I didn't mean to sound so depressing. I hope you enjoyed my chapter. Please review with your thoughts. ;)

Much love!

-Samara


	15. Breaking Point

A/N: Hey everyone! I'd like to thank you not only for your encouraging reviews, but for the support you laced within the print. While I can't tell my cousin about what you all said (she'd surely kill me for even mentioning it), it really meant a lot to know that you all care about her wellbeing.

I can say that all of your suggestions had already been taken into account well before I even mentioned it, and that finally my family had the balls to get my cousin away from her mother, at least temporarily. She's currently in Florida with my grandparents, and will be there for about another week. We're also trying to get her mother on medication, which is like pulling teeth to begin with…

But know that all your sentiments are appreciated. And just a warning, this chapter has _a lot _of swearing. You have been warned.

Now, let's get on with the chapter. :)

**Chapter 15: Breaking Point**

The moment when Rika Haruno snapped again was one of the most emotionally draining nights of Sakura's life. Even though she was expecting it, that didn't mean it hurt any less.

Coming home from the Hyuga manor, Sakura had been in a very…relieved mood. The man she hated most would be going to prison for a _very_ long time, and therefore she would have the opportunity to move on with her life without having to constantly look over her shoulder.

As an added bonus, her mother hadn't been home.

And so she let herself drop her guard and go up to her room to get started on her homework. After all, it was a Wednesday night. She groaned, wishing for the umpteenth time that she hadn't gotten hurt. That way, she could have gotten out of school for the next two days to participate in the national competition…

'Lucky bastards,' she acrimoniously thought, rolling her eyes despite the fact that they weren't anywhere near close enough to rant to in person. Grudgingly, she settled herself on her bedroom floor, lying on her stomach, and pulled her book bag over to her side so that she could rifle through its contents.

After a moment of searching, she procured her Calculus textbook, but found herself groaning when she had to return to the fray to find that calculator that was, _of course, _buried at the bottom of the bag. Once she had that set aside, she retrieved a pencil from the satchel's front pocket, immediately engrossing herself in the habit of twiddling it around in her fingers as she set to opening the large text.

Of course, as soon as she cracked the darn thing open she heard the front door slam with a force that nearly made her drop her pencil in pure shock alone. Her breath stuck in her throat, her fidgeting hand stilling as she considered the implications of the violent noise. When she could hear the sound of stiletto heels storming up the stairs, she didn't need to consider anything any longer. Just before the door to her room was thrust open, Sakura had the sense to take her phone from her pocket and dial the single digit that would transfer her message to Neji's cell-phone, throwing the device onto her bed in an effort to conceal its use.

"There you are, you little slut!" she hissed, standing furiously in the doorframe. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" Her speech was slightly off, not necessarily slurred, but certainly affected by what she _really _had been doing.

Sakura could smell the alcohol on her mother's breath from where she sat on the floor, knowing that she had done everything _but _search for her like she said. Instead of calling her out on it, because doing so would only make her situation worse, she went a different route, attempting to appeal to the obviously unstable woman's sense of rationality.

"I-I told you yesterday that I'd be going to Hinata's house after school," she stammered, scrambling to her feet. The height difference was putting her at a disadvantage… "And I was only there for a few hours."

"Did I _say_ you could go over there? You were with that _boy_ again, weren't you! I'm not stupid! If you aren't sleeping with him it'll be by the grace of God!" Her raised tone quickly morphed into full out screaming and accusations, and was becoming increasingly clear that her mother was anything but rational at the moment from the way she was spouting her borderline conspiracy theories. And those accusations, untrue as they were and coming from her _mother_, hurt. It didn't help that this conversation was being recorded.

"Mom, he wasn't even there," she stressed, running a hand through her hair. Her voice was tight with the desperation for her mother to understand, and despite her best attempt to keep them from showing, tears started to pool in her eyes. "Why are you being so nasty?" Even as she asked, she had a horrible feeling that somehow her reaction was rooted, very deeply, in the case of custody she knew was going on behind her back.

"Because!" the woman practically screeched.

In that brief moment where the elder Haruno paused to gather her reasons, Sakura tried to take in her form; disheveled clothes, unruly hair, flushed face. She looked like she might have gotten into a bar fight, aside from the fact that she had no injuries to boast. It was unsettling, to say the least, and she couldn't help but wonder at the state of her mother's mind. Was this the depression talking, or was it her inebriation?

"Because I fucking hate you, you little bitch!" She stomped her foot for good measure while Sakura's eyes widened in shock and hurt. She even went so far as to flick her daughter off. "If I knew where your father was, I'd ship you off to him in a heartbeat! He's the one that should be raising you!" She started to ramble incoherently about responsibility and children bequeathed to her by Satan himself. "I'm not cut out for raising a horrid little slut like you!"

"M-Mom! Do you even know what you're saying!" This _was _what she wanted, to get away from her mother, but Sakura never expected how painful it would be to actually hear her own mom say she didn't want her… And despite the fact that she'd been called such degrading names before, she couldn't stop the wince at each insult she spewed in her direction.

The older rosette's breathe hitched, her effort to suppress a hiccup, before she answered her daughter. "Of course I know what I'm saying! Everything is your fault, you little tramp! Everything!" She stepped forward, shaking her clenched fists at her sides. "It's your fault that Saboten left! And now, _my _life is shit!"

Sakura shook her head, understanding her mother's logic but not agreeing with it at all. "How?" she demanded to know, her voice wet from her crying. "How is it my fault that Dad left? That he couldn't deal with everything going on around here! How is that my fault!" She pointed her finger accusingly at Rika, ready to let everything out. It was long overdue, and her mother had crossed the line… "You started drinking long before Dad moved away! I remember!"

It seemed Sakura crossed a line as well, for the elder Haruno crossed the small distance between them and slapped her daughter across the face, the resounding crack echoing in her ears. Even though it was unexpected, the young rosette managed to continue to stand tall, slowly turning her head back to meet her mother's hateful gaze with a glare of her own.

It stung, but she was already crying in the first place, and really, it wasn't nearly as bad as all the accusations flying around. Wryly, she realized that her phone probably picked up on the sound, loud as it was, and by the feel of it, she was going to have a rather lovely bruise where Rika's hand connected with her face.

'You wanted evidence, Mr. Hyuga?' she thought morbidly to herself. 'Not quite what I intended…but I suppose…in the long run…it's for the best…'

"Does that make you feel any better?" Sakura's voice was still uneven, but she was fairly collected at this point and it clearly showed. The quiet anger hiding just beneath the surface caught her guardian off-guard, if only for a moment. "I hope it was worth it…" While her mother seethed, her chest heaving as she tried to regain some semblance of composure, Sakura strode purposefully to her bed, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. She snatched her phone from off of her comforter, sniffling slightly as she ended the call. When she turned back around, Rika was staring at her with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Wh-What—?"

Sakura shook her head, pocketing the tiny device before proceeding to gather her important belongings into her discarded book bag. A spare set of clothes, her text books, some personal items like her iPod. It all went into the bag while Mrs. Haruno stood by the doorway gaping like a fish. She only snapped out of her dazed state when Sakura made a move to exit her room.

"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed, gripping her arm before she was completely in the clear. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

With a strength the older woman never expected her daughter to have, Sakura wrenched her arm from her mother's grasp, wiping a few stray tears from her eyes before looking at her again. "I can't live like this anymore," she informed her quietly, making sure to maintain eye contact. "Especially not for another year… I'm going back to Hinata's house… Now I have evidence to help Mr. Hyuga transfer my guardianship to Anko…"

The sudden declaration silenced the drunken woman once more, but Sakura had more to impart before she escaped from her own personal hell.

"You…You say you love me," she choked out, swallowing thickly. "Sometimes you're really nice, and sometimes…sometimes I actually believe it. But…things like this remind me that I can never get my hopes up… not with you." While her mother was stunned, she took the opportunity to descend the stairs, shifting the heavy pack on her shoulder as she turned to regard the only blood relative she had at this point. "If you care…even just a little bit…let me go with Anko. Without a fight. Don't make Mr. Hyuga use the recording of what just happened."

She didn't hear her mother say anything as she stepped out of the house and into the light of the just setting sun. She didn't stop crying completely until halfway down her street, and she couldn't stop fiddling with her fingers in a nervous bid to calm herself until she was seated on a bench in the neighborhood playground.

After a few minutes of resting there with her head in her hands, she sniffed and sighed heavily, reaching into her pocket with the intention of calling the Hyuga manor. The only thing stopping her was the sound of a child laughing, and, unable to help herself, she became distracted by the sight of a mother and father pushing their little girl on the swing, in a last ditch effort to get in some quality time before the sun went down for the night.

The tiny girl was laughing, her parents smiling endearingly at their child as they pushed her higher and higher, and Sakura couldn't help but bitterly wonder why she couldn't have that. What had she done that deserved the punishment of being stripped of her parents' love and affection?

Abruptly, she realized that she was jealous of a girl no more than five years old, who had done nothing directly to deserve her misplaced ire. Still, her eyes couldn't leave that perfect little family unit, not even as the sun finally set and they made their way home for the evening, the small girl sitting atop her father's shoulders while the mother and father were linked at the arm.

When they finally disappeared into the darkness, not even their silhouettes visible in the near pitch black, Sakura finally found it in herself to dial the number, unaware that silent tears fell from her cheeks.

**End Chapter**

A/N: So…Here's the chapter. Pretty intense, and kind of sad. I actually almost cried as I wrote the last part.

Sorry it's shorter than most, but, hey, that's about all I could really squeeze into this scene.

If you recall the part about "Why are you being so nasty?", that was an actual event that happened with my cousin, except her mother didn't actually say it to her face. She waited until her back was turned and mouthed it while my cousin's friend watched in stunned silence. Ugh, what a coward and just downright despicable person…

Thank you so much for your support, once again. I really do love you guys, and I'm constantly being reminded as to why. :) This story is almost done. I only see maybe a few more chapters, which means it'll be done before I head to college. Yay! And also, Sadness! :(

Please review, and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your opinions.

Much love.

-Samara


	16. Proceedings

A/N: Hey everyone! You get a chapter a bit earlier than normal on account of the fact that I wouldn't be able to post tonight at all! We're going to visit family for a couple of days, and I thought it would be best to get this to you before I go.

Now that I think about it, there might only be one more chapter. O.O Stunning, right? But you have to take into account that the issues in this story have more or less been resolved, meaning there's nowhere else for the plot to go. Oh well. It was a nice run while it lasted. ;)

It feels so sudden to be getting ready to end this! But, I have a job to do so I might as well get to it! Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 16: Proceedings**

"Court is now in session." The loud smack of the gavel echoed in Sakura's ears. She sat in the benches behind the table where Hiashi and Anko sat, rummaging through documents. Beside her was Neji, boyfriend of six months, holding her hand firmly in his own way of showing his support, and Naruto, who was trying his hardest not to crush Sakura's other hand in his vice-like grip.

The judge adjusted the spectacles on the bridge of his nose, taking a file from the bailiff as he approached the bench. The flipped through the papers, eying them critically, before looking upon the woman upon whom he was supposed to pass judgment.

"It seems this is a matter of custody," the judge sighed, closing the file once he was finished perusing its contents. "Although, from what I understand, there is little question as to the outcome of this case."

Rika Haruno, for a short while after Sakura left, only fought harder to keep the daughter she claimed to despise. Eventually, however, she resigned herself to her fate and finally considered what harm she had done unto her daughter in the past four years, coming to the conclusion that she really would be better off with her old coach. It was only a matter of paperwork now.

The judge's gaze swerved to meet Anko's, a fine brow arched in question. "What is your relation to the girl in question? It isn't specified in the file."

The orchid-haired woman cleared her throat, for the first time in her life appearing timid and reserved. "I was her coach when she participated in colorguard, your honor," she replied anxiously.

He hummed noncommittally, apparently not quite sure just what exactly she was talking about. "It says here that you're recently married. Has your partner had any interaction with Ms. Haruno?"

She nodded firmly. "They've met quite a few times, sir," she answered. "He thinks of her as a little sister."

"And his occupation?"

"He's a contractor."

The judge made another noise of acknowledgement, scrawling something on a sheet of paper. "And have you any other means of income aside from your coaching job?"

"I'm in the graphic design business, your honor." She looked to Hiashi questioningly, shrugging her shoulders as she wondered about the appropriateness of the judges inquiries.

The lawyer leaned over ever so slightly in his chair so that he could whisper without seeming rude. "It's simply a formality. Relax." He'd noticed the way that Anko continuously clenched and unclenched her fists, as if worrying that something would inevitably go wrong. As if the judge wouldn't see her fit to become Sakura's new guardian. He had a feeling that his little aside wouldn't have much effect on the woman but it was at least worth a shot…

She took a deep breath to calm herself, but it seemed to do little to no good. She was wound up like a child's toy with little hope of relaxing anytime soon. She wouldn't be back to normal until everything was officially decided, and that thought only made things worse.

She likely wouldn't be back to normal, in actuality, until guard practice started back up. And that wouldn't be for another few weeks. Stupid gap between Winterguard and Fall-guard tryouts… And even the thought of tryouts made her testy, because they meant she was losing Temari on top of Sakura…

The judge returned his attention to the mother of the 'girl in question', sizing her up with that critical eye of his. "Am I to understand that you are not contesting the arrangement?" When Rika nodded, he did as well. "Then let the record stand that you, Miss Rika Haruno, have consented to the switch of custody of the girl in question, Miss Sakura Haruno. Primary guardianship will now be handed over to Miss Anko Momochi, as will half of the settlement obtained from the Uchiha family as of four and a half years ago. All child support will be forwarded to Ms. Momochi until the day Ms. Haruno reaches the age of eighteen." He struck the gavel, finalizing his decision, then slid all papers relating to the case back into their file, handing them back off to the bailiff. "Next case."

…

"How do you feel?"

The rosette shrugged her shoulders at her boyfriend's question, her lips a tight line as they walked out of the courtroom. And honestly, she truly didn't know how she was supposed to feel at the moment. Sad? Happy? Relieved? Upset? Really, if she thought about it, each emotion could have made its presence known at some point. But instead, she felt incredibly detached from the whole thing. She couldn't help wondering if that was a normal reaction, but something told her it wasn't.

Naruto made a point of putting his arm around her shoulders, smiling broadly in that way of his. "Well, on the bright side, you never have to go back there again!" By there, he meant her mother's home.

She nodded, but there really wasn't a whole lot behind the action. Her brow was furrowed slightly as she went on sorting out her jumbled thoughts, trying to figure out what her next course of action would be.

Nothing would really change all that much. She'd been staying with Anko and her husband for the past few months while the final details of the custody agreement were being made. All of her things were already there. All that was different was that a sheet of paper now made it official.

"Oh, and did you hear that Itachi's sentencing hearing is next week? I heard that the jury found him guilty almost immediately, and when they considered the first trial, they pushed for the maximum sentence." Naruto chuckled happily, pleased that the bastard wouldn't be able to hurt Sakura anymore. "I know it's still up to the judge, but I'm pretty sure she'll side with the jury."

That caught her attention, her curious emerald eyes looking to his deep blue ones. "Really? And how long is that?"

"Twenty-five years, is what I heard," Neji commented, smacking the blonde's arm away from his girlfriend's shoulder so that he could pull her closer to him. Naruto only laughed at the attempt, but removed his arm regardless.

For the first time that day, Sakura cracked a smile, releasing a relieved breath of air. Now _that_ was good news.

They came to the building's entrance, or exit depending on which side you were on, stopping when they saw that a familiar head of pink hair was waiting by the doors.

Sakura only hesitated for a moment before focusing her gaze straight ahead, dragging Neji purposefully behind her as she ignored the woman that did nothing but stare at her as she and her friends left the building. Once outside, she had to wait for Hiashi and Anko to join them, but despite this small setback in her mission to get as far away from her mother as physically possible, she took pride in the fact that she did not once look back.

**End Chapter**

A/N: Yeah, I know. Really short chapter. But honestly, not a whole lot I could do here. It was short, sweet, and to the point. Next week will be the last chapter, and I already know what I'm gonna do for it. I think you'll all like it.

Please review! This story is almost over, so I'd really appreciate you bringing it in for the long haul!

Much love!

-Samara


	17. Ending

A/N: Alright everyone! This is officially the last chapter! This story has had a decent run, and I'd like to thank all my readers for sticking with me for these past few months. I love you all, and hope you enjoy the final chapter.

And thanks for getting me over 100 reviews! I'm very excited that I made it past that milestone before the story reached its end.

**Chapter 17: Ending**

Anko pinched the bridge of her nose, inhaling deeply. She was thoroughly frustrated with the bunch of recruits that showed up to tryouts, and idly wondered how in the hell they were supposed to find promise in such a sad looking group. She chanced a glance at Kakashi to see if he happened to be suffering from the same problem, only to find that he was scrolling through his iPhone…_again…_

She grit her teeth but decided not to call him out on it; wouldn't want to scare away the newbies on the first day of tryouts, would she? Surely Iruka would be paying attention, right?

The orchid haired woman looked in Iruka's direction, only to find that he wasn't even there. 'Where the hell did he go now? He sure as hell isn't leaving this all up to me!' she inwardly seethed, almost positive that her vision had been tinted red for just a second.

Steadying her breathing, she grudgingly returned her attention to the group of newcomers, wincing as she watched the veterans attempt to teach them basics. It truly was a horrible sight, and she wished that she had Temari back. She had given up on Sakura returning since her injury had left her unable to compete in Winterguard.

Seeing that the veterans still had a few minutes to impart their wisdom on the girls trying out, Anko let her thoughts wander to her pink-haired charge.

The last month had been interesting, she would admit. She was officially Sakura's guardian, and that thought seemed strange in itself. Sure, Sakura had been living with her for a few months, but something seemed different. They almost seemed…closer. Like a family. Granted her real mother stopped by every couple weeks to have dinner, but Sakura seemed so much better off now that there was no pressure.

The gruff woman sighed, running a hand through her cropped hair. "Alright! Line up and let's see what you've got."

"Wait! Is it too late to try out?"

On reflex Anko snarled at the late arrival. "You wanna try out, you show up on time!" Her eyes snapped to the doorway, her expression changing from a sharp snarl to a wide-eyed look of awe.

Ino and Hinata looked up, grins on their faces. TenTen and Hanabi were doing a very good impression of Anko. "Sakura!" A quick glance so the side prompted the dropping of jaws. "And Neji?"

The elder Hyuga put his hand up, resting the other on Sakura's hip. "Just here to watch," he assured them with a contented smirk. Together they walked across the room, Sakura setting her bag on the ground as she looked to her guardian hopefully while Neji went to lean against the wall next to the aloof Kakashi.

"I-I thought you weren't coming back to the team," Anko sputtered. The rosette hadn't been able to participate in Winterguard, and so Anko had assumed that she wouldn't try out for Fall. Sakura had never told her otherwise, and so she had no reason to believe that she would come back. Shaking her head of those thoughts, because after all, Sakura was _there_, she blinked, stunned. "Well…Why are you late? We started a half hour ago."

Those trying out started to talk amongst themselves, not understanding the significance of the girl with pink hair's return, nor caring the least bit about it. Some used the opportunity to continue practicing, others gossiped about the latest goings on in the school. Unbeknownst to them, Kakashi was taking careful note of that fact, seeing as Anko was otherwise occupied.

Sakura grinned, slipping off her shoes. "I was out of practice. Couldn't come back rusty, could I?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"

Sakura laughed, winking at the woman. "I wanted to surprise you."

Anko laughed almost anxiously, the shock still running through her system.

"So…Can I try out?" she inquired tentatively.

Her answer was a quick hug and a shove to the waiting across-the-floor lines. Kakashi smiled warmly beneath his scarf, the creases of his eyes giving him away.

Anko cleared her throat, the action simultaneously snapping her out of her stupor. "Now let's see those jazz walks. Hyuga, get your ass out there! I know you know how to do them! Five, six. Five, six, seven, eight!"

…

"Well, none of us should be surprised; Sakura made it!" Ino squealed, putting her arm around the Haruno's shoulder a week after the last day of tryouts. "Welcome back to the team, Billboard Brow!" She laughed as Sakura pushed her playfully away. "Don't hog the spotlight this year, okay?"

"Now why would she do that?"

Ino rolled her eyes as Neji came up behind his girlfriend, planting a quick kiss on her cheek. "That's not her style," he drawled sarcastically, making her giggle. "She _loves_ staying in the background."

"Shouldn't you be more upset?" the blonde asked, putting her hands on her hips. "After all, this cuts your bonding time drastically short. We'll be busy, you know?" She received a glare from Sakura in return, but wasn't phased in the least. "How will you handle us monopolizing all of your precious Sakura's time?"

He shrugged, continuing to smile at his girlfriend. "I think I can manage it. After all, I can't keep her all to myself now can I?"

Ino smirked, pleased with his answer. "No, no you can't. Glad you see it my way."

"I'll have to share her with the team."

"Exactly."

"And I'll have to listen to everything she says, because, by your definition, I'm a rookie."

"That's righ—Wait…What!"

Sakura full out laughed, motioning with her head to the list posted on the board outside the band room. "You didn't look to see who all made the team, Ino. Geez, that selective attention is what kills you in English, you know Pig?"

Ino plastered herself to the page, eyes widening when she saw that Neji's name was indeed on the list. "B-But how?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "He tried out, remember?"

"But I thought he only did it as a joke!"

"You thought wrong," he told her, enjoying the discomfort and shock that registered on the blonde's face. "I figured I'd expand my horizons," he explained, narrowing his eyes in a way that had Ino sputtering helplessly. "Hatake said he'd personally work with me. If everything goes as planned, I'll be doing rifle and sabre instead of making an idiot out of myself with the flag."

Sakura turned around in his arms, smiling up at him. "You have me too, don't forget." Ino gagged at the sentiment and fled down the hall, leaving her free to do what she wanted with her boyfriend.

He pressed his forehead against hers, rocking them slowly back and forth. "Never," he promised softly. He leaned in to plant a kiss on her lips, but of course their moment was ruined by another loudmouthed blonde.

"Hey! I don't need to see you making out with my best friend!" Naruto groaned, clapping Neji on the shoulder. He laughed sheepishly when they grudgingly pulled away from each other, sending him irritated glances. "By the way, Neji, heard you're a flaget now. Good on you, getting to hang out with a bunch of hot chicks in tight black leotards." He rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the ceiling as he thought about it. "Man, now that I say it, I should have signed up."

"Naruto, you're hopeless," Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes. Still, she couldn't help smiling at him, shaking her head. "If you wanted to talk to Hinata, you have plenty of opportunities at lunch. I don't know how many times I've had to tell you that she _likes_ you."

"Though I can't for the life of me understand _why_," Neji muttered under his breath, smirking tauntingly at his ex-teammate, knowing that he could hear him.

"And I can't for the life of me understand why Sakura would go out with you," he shot back, chuckling to himself. "But here we are."

"Why are you here again?"

"What? Can't a guy come congratulate his two good friends on making the colorguard team?" It was a weak argument even for him, and the cheesy smile proved it to the both of them.

"Not when one of them was your old captain. You're too immature to let that go," the rosette informed him cheekily.

He cursed, but his smile told them that he wasn't serious. "Yeah, well, still." He pointed a finger at Neji, backtracking down the hall. "Don't embarrass me, got it? Even if we're not in soccer anymore, you're still my captain. I won't let you ruin that image."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

…

"So, what's going on tonight?" He was driving her back to Anko's apartment, school over and done with for the day.

She hummed softly to herself, a faint smile tugging at her lips. The young woman tucked a strand of her bubblegum pink hair behind her ear, staring contentedly out the window. "Mom's coming over for dinner tonight. Zabuza is making a special dinner for us to celebrate my return to the team."

Neji quirked a brow at that bit of information. "Zabuza cooks?"

"Well you don't expect Anko to do it," she pointed out, her tone betraying her obvious amusement. "Sometimes I wonder about the gender roles in that place though."

He chuckled, nodding agreeably. "But things are good though?"

She hummed again, leaning back into the car seat. "Yeah. Things are good. Mom's almost stopped drinking completely, she's been going to therapy, taking her meds. She's trying. It's nice…."

"But?"

At his prodding she sighed but nodded. "But, I know we'll never have the relationship we used to have. We'll never be as close as we were before…Dad left. We'll never have what can be construed as a normal relationship." She smiled at him. "And I'm okay with that, because that at least means we'll have something, and that's better than the nothing we had."

"Hn."

…

So, I guess that's all there is to it. Itachi's in prison, never to bother me again. My mother is finally getting the help she needs, and I'm back on the team where I belong. I went through a lot. After I was…raped…those few years ago, I never thought I'd experience so much more pain. But, in less than a year, I'm in a much better place.

I have a boyfriend that, while stubborn with an occasionally cold exterior, cares about me. He's there for me whenever I need him to be, and even when I don't want him there. He did the unexpected and joined the one institution I never would have dreamed he'd join. He was such a jerk at first, but, ya know, I love him.

I have the support of my friends, despite all the crap they give me. I have my team back. I have a future.

I'm doing well, even with all I've suffered. I think that I'm starting to move forward. There's nothing here anymore to hold me back in the past, and so many things pushing me into what looks like a brighter future.

I can't help but laugh at the fact that Neji is staying in the colorguard. Because after all, we only came together because of a simple little dare. I never expected it to do so much for me, but I know that without it I wouldn't be in the same situation at this moment. I'm grateful for the opportunities it provided me, and I wouldn't take it back for the world.

I'll be okay, I think. I have a great support system, and I know there are people out there that care about me. It's a process, but I'm willing to work through it as long as I have Neji and my friends standing beside me.

**End**

A/N: Well, that's the end. A little cheesy, and probably not what everyone was expecting, but it is what it is. Sorry if there weren't enough Neji/Sakura moments in there for you. I think the path of my story took an interesting turn with the plot, but I can't say I'm disappointed with it.

Thank you so much for sticking with me! This was just something I felt the need to get out in the FanFiction universe before I took an indefinite leave. I might try to write a oneshot every once in awhile, but I'm done with longwinded stories like this. ;)

I love you all, and thanks for your support!

Much love as always, and I'll see you around.

-Samara


End file.
